admin
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Health Buzz
Compliments of the season and best wishes for the year 2023!
As the new year begins, it is important to reflect on some of the achievements that have been recorded in ensuring access to quality health service by all Zimbabweans.
However, it remains equally important to address the gaps that still exist in the response to some of the diseases that continue to affect millions of people, like non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Lack of knowledge of the diseases is one the major challenges that affect this response to NCDs.
While we have many days set aside to raise awareness on HIV, diabetes, malaria, cancer and many other diseases, awareness remains one of the best ways of combating the public health challenge posed by such diseases.
This week we will take a look at why it is important to raise awareness of NCDs and their impact on the people throughout the year.
And we focus on breast cancer.
Back in October, the world commemorated breast cancer awareness month and a lot was done; pink products were lined up on the shelves in stores, awareness and fundraising activities were showcased. But was that enough?
Raising awareness is good but should not be limited to just a few weeks of the year.
Breast cancer is a public health concern that is a year-round issue, and it is good to draw more attention on the matter from time to time.
Globally, there were 2,3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths recorded in 2020 alone. In the five years to the end of 2020, there were 7,8 million women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.
In Zimbabwe, the National Cancer Registry 2018 annual report shows that breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women and accounts for 8 percent of all cases, after cervical cancer.
However, most cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage as patients tend to delay seeking medical care.
The reason why women tend to delay seeking medical help sometimes is lack of knowledge. Many have no access to the informational adverts or the awareness campaigns.
Breast cancer mostly affects women above the age of 40 but men and younger women are not spared.
Early diagnosis remains the best chance any person can have of surviving breast cancer.
Speaking at a breast cancer awareness programme recently, Dr Maitazvenyu Mvere, managing radiologist at MIC Radiology Group said the stage at which breast cancer was diagnosed was important for the survival of most patients.
“Screening is important because in Zimbabwe the statistics show that most people are diagnosed at stage three and stage four when the cancer has already spread. The purpose of screening is to detect cancer at stage one, that is before it has spread to the lymph nodes. We can pick it up at stage zero with mammography, which is the only way to detect it oftentimes before it has spread to lymph nodes and up two years before it can be felt clinically,” she said.
Breast cancer survivor, Chipo Mlambo took one and half years of experiencing pain which she could not explain.
“I had pain in my arm but I never suspected that I could have breast cancer. For one and a half years I was going back and forth to different doctors and I would get the strongest painkillers but none of them helped. When we went into the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, that is when I finally realised that the pain I was feeling had nothing to do with the heavy lifting I was doing at work but could be something serious,” she said.
Chipo could feel a lump in her breast but she never once suspected cancer. A doctor she visited during the lockdown misdiagnosed her and put her on hormonal imbalance treatment medication.
This made her condition worse as the lump actually grew in size and she could see a difference on her breast. There were dimples and it had discoloured.
The second doctor she visited advised her to get checked for breast cancer and a biopsy confirmed that she had the disease.
“When I was told that I had cancer, I really did not take it well. I felt as if the world was coming to an end and I was dying. I got counselling from my friends, my children and hospital staff and other patients that I met at the hospital. I was crying from the time I was diagnosed, through my mastectomy until I started chemotherapy when I met other patients with stories to tell. I realised that I am a survivor not a victim,” she said.
While she finished her chemotherapy sessions, she could not afford the radiotherapy treatment needed after that because only private facilities were offering it.
Radiotherapy costs between US$5 000 and US$9 000 at private health centres but is a lot cheaper at public institutions, which unfortunately are not offering the service at the moment.
The cancer treatment is expensive for most patients, which is why it is important for it to be detected early before it spreads and becomes more difficult to treat.
While Chipo and many others have survived and are recovering one day at a time, there are many others who are not aware that they have breast cancer or that they are at risk of getting it.
Many do not know that they can actually check for lumps on their breasts without visiting a doctor.
Here are some facts about breast cancer and how it can be detected and treated.
Who is at risk?
Being a woman is a risk factor in itself and the older one gets, the higher the risk. Women with a family history of breast, ovarian, melanoma, or pancreatic cancer may be at increased risk, especially women with a family member diagnosed before the age of 50 years.
While it is not always that a woman with a family history of breast cancer will get it, it is important that they make an effort to know that family history and get screened regularly.
Women can also make some changes to their lifestyles to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
Drinking alcohol is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer so reducing alcohol intake can help reduce the risk.
Being overweight after menopause also increases breast cancer risk so women should strive to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer
Breast cancer most commonly presents as a painless lump or thickening in the breast. It is important that when women find an abnormal lump in the breast, they should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Generally, symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or thickening of the breast, alteration in size, shape or appearance of a breast, dimpling, redness, change in nipple appearance or alteration in the skin surrounding the nipple or abnormal nipple discharge.
Breast cancer can present in a wide variety of ways, which is why a complete medical examination is important. Advanced cancers can erode through the skin to cause open sores.
Breast cancer may spread to other areas of the body and trigger other symptoms. Often, the most common first detectable site of spread is to the lymph nodes under the arm although it is possible to have cancer-bearing lymph nodes that cannot be felt.
Over time, cancerous cells may spread to other organs including the lungs, liver, brain and bones. Once they reach these sites, new cancer-related symptoms such as bone pain or headaches may appear.
Treatment
Breast cancer treatment generally consists of surgery and radiation therapy for control of the disease in the breast, lymph nodes and surrounding areas.
In the past, all breast cancers were treated surgically by mastectomy (complete removal of the breast) but now a smaller procedure called a “lumpectomy” or partial mastectomy, in which only the tumour is removed from the breast. In these cases, radiation therapy to the breast is generally required to minimise the chances of recurrence in the breast.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) has an objective to reduce global breast cancer mortality by 2,5 percent per year, thereby averting 2,5 million breast cancer deaths globally between 2020 and 2040.
According to WHO, by providing public health education to improve awareness on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, women and their families will understand the importance of early detection and treatment. More women would consult medical practitioners when breast cancer is first suspected, and before any cancer present is advanced.
“Public education needs to be combined with health worker education on the signs and symptoms of early breast cancer so that women are referred to diagnostic services when appropriate,” the global health body says.
It therefore becomes important for all women to be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel. Any change, no matter how trivial it seems, deserves further evaluation by a healthcare professional.
After the age of 40, women should strive to get a mammogram every year.
Above all, all women can take some control of their risk by embracing a healthier lifestyle, it can make a difference.
Stay healthy, know your body and never hesitate to seek medical advice.
Cheers to a healthy 2023!
◆ Feedback: [email protected]
Online Reporter