WUNRN
Women's Feature Service
India - New Delhi
By Wen Chihua\China Features
The mammogram revealed that Ying, the
mother of an 18-year-old daughter, had a late stage ductal carcinoma in her
left breast. "Remove the whole breast or die," said the oncologist.
Ying agreed to the mastectomy and
chemotherapy in 2008, a year after she had first noticed the lump in her left
breast. She had then ignored the lump thinking, "I'm a good person. Cancer
would never find me. The lump will disappear by itself."
Unfortunately, the lump advanced
quickly, with some fluid oozing out of her nipple in August. But Ying delayed
seeing a doctor until November, when the oncologist delivered the verdict.
Ying's agony is avoidable but,
unfortunately, it is also increasingly common among women in
Lingzhi cited figures from the third
National Survey on causes of death, which suggests that the mortality rate of
breast cancer increased by 68.6 per cent between 2004-2005 from 1990-1992. In
2005,
Dr Qiao Youlin, an internationally
acclaimed epidemiologist from the Cancer Institute of Chinese
In
More alarmingly, the disease is
afflicting younger and younger women. "In 2000-2001, the most vulnerable
in the capital were those aged between 45-50 years -- this is five years
younger than the most vulnerable between 1982-1983," informs Qiao. Oncologists
says that even pre-menopausal women in their 30s, or early 40s are afflicted by
the disease. In fact, Chinese film star Chen Xiaoxu was only 42 when she lost
her battle against breast cancer, in 2007. "But, unfortunately, while
breast cancer has been extensively studied in the West, experts have little
idea as to the risk factors in
Jiayuan notices that the risk factors
in the West are strongly associated with family history, obesity and
reproduction and endocrine problems. These may apply in
She points at the unhealthy lifestyle
of the younger women - such as the lack of regular exercise and a penchant for
deep-fried chicken or hot dogs. "These Western foods are high-fat,
high-protein and high-sugar. Chicken and beef are often full of hormones."
"Misinformation may also keep
women from recognising or minimising their risk of breast care," warns
Jiayuan. She also notes a couple of common myths: that stress and wearing wired
bras causes cancer.
To catch the most vicious killer of women
in
With financial aid of one million yuan
from Pfizer, the multi-centre project is being carried out in seven major
cities:
When the project finishes at the end of
2010, it should be possible to establish reliable grounds for action in
standardised screening for breast cancer; find an effective screening model
suitable for Chinese women; and curb the disease.
The current lack of a national cancer
registration database means that Chinese oncologists do not completely
understand the epidemic nature of the disease. Furthermore, with no clarity on
the causes of breast cancer and with inspection facilities like a mammography
available only in urban hospitals and are beyond the reach of the poor, primary
prevention is difficult. Clearly, screening and proper treatment are crucial to
bringing down the incidence and mortality rates.
Mammography, ultrasonography and
clinical breast examination are three screening measures widely practised in
the West, with the mammogram being the most effective method of early detection
of breast cancer. A low-powered X-ray captures a picture of the internal
structure of the breast, finding tumours and helping to tell the difference
between a non-cancerous and cancerous one.
The World Health Organization (WHO)
recommends that women aged between 40-69 years have regular clinical breast
examination by well-trained medics. "Early detection and treatment can
slash the cancer death rate by 30 per cent," elaborates Qiao.
As for Chen Ying, she now uses her
avoidable ailment to make her daughter better aware of the killer disease.
"Regular screening for the disease is a best safeguard, when a woman
reaches a certain age," she reiterates. She has learnt this through a
painful process of understanding.
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