Study: 1 in 22 urban Indian women likely to develop breast cancer
By: Team Ifairer | Posted: 08-10-2020
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"Hopefully with better awareness and timely treatment, we can prevent some of 87,000 lives lost every year due to breast cancer in our country." Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder and Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, said: "Breast cancer is one of the largest killers of women on the planet. Many women suffer from breast cancer, but the problem is it's detected too late and that's the reason they couldn't get good quality treatment."
"Breast cancer, if detected on time, is 100 percent curable. Please motivate all women in your family to motivate doing self-breast examinations. It's a very simple thing to do and takes a few minutes. If you detect any lump in your breast you should immediately bring it to your doctor's attention," he added. Dr Kaushal Yadav, Surgical Oncologist at Columbia Asia Hospital, Palam Vihar in Gurugram, explained how breast self-examination (BSE) can be done to identify any sign of potential breast cancer.
"Stand in front of a mirror with hands on the hips. Check breasts for any skin changes, lumps, or changes in the black area around the nipples. Raise one arm and try to feel for lumps around breasts - move from armpit area towards the breast until the gap on both sides. If there is a lump on the breast or in the armpit that is growing bigger and feels hard; visible skin changes over and near the lump; blood discharge from the nipple or the nipple seems pulled inwards, visit a doctor without delay," he advised.
Kamal Narayan, CEO of Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council, said that the rapid and alarming rise of breast cancer in India needs urgent attention. While the treatment of breast cancer is covered under schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, awareness of the disease is important.
"More cases of breast cancer in India are detected at later stages, which makes encouraging women aged 35 and more undertake breast self-examination crucial to detect cases at a stage where treating them is easier. India should contemplate introducing an awareness drive for BSE by roping in community workers who can check for abnormalities in breast or breast cancer cases door-to-door, especially in rural areas where diagnostic services may be scant," he added.