87,000 women succumb to breast cancer every year in India
As the entire month is dedicated to spread awareness on the disease, doctors urged families to not treat the ailment as a taboo subject
Hyderabad: Cancer specialists and experts in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have urged general public, especially women to realise the importance of early diagnosis of the disease, which goes a long way in getting better treatment results and improves quality of life.
On the occasion of the ongoing breast cancer awareness month in October, experts said that a majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the country continue to approach oncologists for treatment at a very late stage, which not only makes the treatment very challenging but also makes it quite a painful ordeal for patients.
As the entire month is dedicated to spread awareness on the disease, doctors urged families to not treat the ailment as a taboo subject. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-PHFI study of 2016 has indicated that in the last 26 years, breast cancer has become number one cancer among women in every Indian State.
More than 60 per cent of women suffering from breast cancer seek medical attention in advanced stages due to lack of awareness and absence of a population based screening programme. “In the last past few years, we have done a lot on transforming breast cancer from a taboo issue to a much commonly discussed one through consistent advocacy. However, challenges continue to remain,” says senior oncologist and Director of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, Dr. P Raghu Ram.
In India, well over 162,000 women are newly diagnosed with breast cancer while 87,000 succumb to breast cancer every year. The ailment has overtaken cervical cancer to become the common cancer affecting women. In Western countries, women get diagnosed with breast cancer after the age of 50 years but in India, the highest incidence of breast cancer is between the ages of 30 years and 50 years.
According to senior doctors, a multiple of factors like genetic mutations, longer life expectancy, hormonal imbalances, intake of hormones through medicines, delayed or no breast feeding and menopause is making Indian women vulnerable to breast cancer.
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