Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 26, 2014 News
“About eight years ago, when the Guyana Cancer Institute was established, local breast cancer research indicated that the age group of Guyanese women most vulnerable to breast cancer was 50 and above.
But over the years, with changing times and a faster lifestyle, younger Guyanese women are becoming more vulnerable to the disease.”
This was according to Dr. Ravindranath Raghuram, the Associate Oncologist at the Guyana Cancer Institute. He said that the prevalence of Guyanese women, as young as 30, diagnosed with breast cancer, has significantly increased over the past eight years.
He said that statistical data currently indicates a drop in the most prevalent age group of local women most vulnerable to breast cancer.
“The maximum incidence of breast cancer is found in metropolitan cities where life is fast. Most girls work, have late marriages and then have children even later. All these factors work to increase the chances of breast cancer,” he said.
To curb this situation, Raghuram said that the Guyana Cancer Institute has embarked on a nationwide campaign to increase the awareness of breast cancer this month, through a collaborative effort with non-governmental organizations and the Ministry of Health.
As part of activities for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, several awareness campaigns were conducted across Guyana, including Breast Cancer walks and education programmes, in an effort to reduce the high prevalence of the disease and deaths caused by it locally.
Raghuram said that awareness of breast cancer is crucial to reducing its prevalence and deaths locally, as many more persons will be prompted to take the initiative of getting “screened” at the institute, before experiencing symptoms for the disease.
He said that early detection is what works best to fight the cancer, and the institute has also moved to offer mammograms and ultra-sounds at a reduced cost—no more than $7500 for both.
He recommended that local women aged 40 to 70 should be “screened” as early as possible, since the disease has a high local prevalence and is the second leading cause of death among women worldwide.
He noted that the most common type of breast cancer diagnosed in Guyana is “ductal carcinoma”, which accounts for 90 percent of patients.
He explained that it begins in the lining of the milk ducts (thin tubes that carry milk from the lobules of the breast to the nipple) and can spread to surrounding normal tissues within or beyond the breast. Breast cancer occurs in both men and women, but male breast cancer is rare.
Raghuram said that the diagnosis of the disease is confirmed with a biopsy. A “biopsy needle” is placed into the abnormal breast tissue and a sample is extracted for analysis under a microscope.
He said that the institute is offering chemotherapy, oncology consultations, mammography, pap smears, chest x-rays, chemotherapy, external beam radiation therapy, intra-cavitary radiation therapy, external radiation therapy, CT scans and bone density scans to detect and combat the disease.
Some breast cancer risk factors mentioned by the oncologist included, a family history of breast cancer, inherited genes that increase cancer risk, radiation exposure, obesity, having children at an older age, having never been pregnant, smoking and drinking alcohol.
To prevent the disease in the long-run, Raghuram recommended a limited alcohol intake, no smoking, weight control, breast-feeding and avoiding exposure to radiation and environmental pollution.
So far for this year, Raghuram said that at least 60 Guyanese women found out that they were positive for breast cancer.
He said that the institute will remain committed in doing their part to improve healthcare in Guyana, with upgraded cancer treatment equipment and facilities in the upcoming year.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
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