Breast cancer awareness

What you need to know:

  • As the world marks this month with various activities, we talk to some cancer patients at Ocean Road Cancer Institute about their journey and one doctor who has been at the hospital for many years to give us tips on managing and prevention. He also discusses whether there are new advancements in terms of treatment of the disease.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) which is an annual health campaign organised by major breast cancer charities to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and management.

As the world marks this month with various activities, we talk to some cancer patients at Ocean Road Cancer Institute about their journey and one doctor who has been at the hospital for many years to give us tips on managing and prevention. He also discusses whether there are new advancements in terms of treatment of the disease.

During this month, many health facilities are running free breast screenings and awareness campaigns across the country. It is good to take time and visit the nearest health facility for check up.

There is also more added advantage that when you attend the breast cancer awareness clinics, one can be taught how to conduct self-examination. Once examination has been done, there is always a need to seek a second opinion to rule out your fears and doubts. Monitoring one’s body can help in early detection of the disease hence its management.

And we also need to know risk factors such as heavy alcohol consumption, obesity and high intake of red meat so that we can adopt a change of lifestyle. We can beat breast cancer.