'By V Haripriya'

Nine out of 10 women who get breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease. Surprised? On Friday, the conference hall of Tidel Park played host to a discussion where more than 50 women techies educated themselves about breast cancer, one of the deadliest and fast spreading cancers in the world. The lecture-cum-discussion on 'Be Breast Cancer Aware' was

jointly organised by U. S. Consulate General, Chennai, eWIT (Empowering women in IT) and CAN STOP.

"It is the duty of each and every woman to be aware of the changes in their breast. "The early the disease is recognised, the better are the chances of treatment and recovery. Otherwise, the cancer spreads to other parts of the body with or without any major symptoms," said Dr. Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan, founder of CAN STOP (Cancer Support Therapy to Overcome Pain), Sundaram Medical Foundation.

Prevention

"The first step towards breast cancer screening is self-examination. Once a girl attains 20 years, she has to self-examine herself for any thickening or lump in the breast. If she detects something unusual, she has to consult a physician. Even otherwise, women between the ages 20 and 39 must undergo a clinical breast exam (CBE) every three years. After 40, CBE should be done every year," she said.

"Another method to identify the cancer is through a mammogram. A mammogram can discover tumours long before they can be felt in a physical examination. Once detected, the patient has to go through a series of procedures, like lumpectomy/ mastectomy/lymph gland removal followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy," Dr. Rangarajan added.

Question hour

The lecture turned interactive cancer awareness were distributed to all participants at the end of the meeting.

CAN STOP

CAN STOP is a community-based voluntary organisation dedicated to helping people affected with cancer by providing counselling services in a holistic manner to patients, family and friends, conducting awareness programmes and screening camps through education and advocacy.

CAN STOP can be contacted through helpline number 26284256. Or email canstop@ smfhospital.org. Also visit www.canstop.org to know more about CAN STOP.

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