In India, the incidence of breast cancer is increasing manifold and is now touching staggering figures. DR RITU SETHI shares ways to keep it at bay
Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers in women. In India, the incidence of breast cancer is increasing manifold and is now touching staggering figures. It is estimated that 1 woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 4 minutes in India these days, unfortunately at late stages when the spread is extensive and usually incurable.
So what can be done to decrease the incidence and the consequent morbidity arising from this deadly disease?
The key to this is early intervention, treatment and thus cure. This is possible only if women are made aware of the disease and how regular breast self-examination can detect small lumps which may turn out to be sinister.
So, who all are at risk of breast cancer in whom regular surveillance is a must? Women with a family history of breast cancer—a close relative -mother sister or a relative from either parent’s side having cancer is at more risk.
Women carrying the breast cancer gene-Brca 1 and Brca 2 are more at risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer more than the general population. This does not mean that they will develop the cancer but increased susceptibility to doing so, hence more caution needs to be exercised.
Other risk factors are increased length of reproductive life-early menarche and late menopause, history of smoking and alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and use of hormone replacement therapy after the menopause. Women who have never had children or never breastfed also are at increased risk. Women having these risk factors have more chances of developing breast cancer.
So how can the disease be detected early when it is fully treatable?
Women should be made aware that any lumps, nodules or abnormal discharge from the breast need to be thoroughly investigated. Though 90 percent of these lumps will turn out to be benign (non-cancerous), which lump is cancerous or not, the treating physician is the best person to diagnose. Regular breast self-examination should be done by all women above the age of 30 years to feel for any lumps or masses in the breasts.
Routine mammograms (specialized x-rays of the breast) for at-risk women and those above the age of forty is recommended for all women, this is particularly so as the incidence of this cancer is now increasing even in the younger population.
So how to prevent the incidence of breast cancer?
Thus with early detection, close monitoring and routine surveillance, we can beat the deadly disease in our female population.
The writer is Senior Consultant- Gynaecology, Cloud Nine Hospital, Gurugram