Let’s pink together for breast cancer!
Across the world this year, the common theme for breast cancer awareness to everyone is one that signals positivity to women around the world: “Together we can.”
At Healthub Clinics, we echo the same sentiment in 2023 through our campaign in spreading awareness (coming in from last year), called ‘See the World in Pink”. It’s a clarion call for women across the UAE in supporting one another to not only go in for a breast cancer screening but to also get together in spreading awareness about the need to go in for an early check-up.
As such, #seetheworldinpink also aims to invite empathy by making people see the world through the eyes of a breast cancer patient.
We believe that early detection of breast cancer is always the safest way to control and prevent its spread for a successful outcome.
If detected early through a screening and aided by treatments over time, the path to hope and a normal life is a brighter one for women battling this challenging disease.
Just how serious is breast cancer?
The disease is responsible for more than 2 million new cases every year and a few years ago accounted for 11.6% of all cancer cases. It therefore needs serious addressing. In the UAE alone, breast cancer accounts for nearly 20% of all cancer cases.
The UAE faces unique challenges when it comes to breast cancer awareness. Firstly, cultural barriers and social norms often prevent women from openly discussing breast health, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Secondly, the lack of awareness among the general population about breast cancer symptoms, risk factors, and screenings contributes to late-stage detection. Lastly, limited access to specialized healthcare facilities and oncologists poses another hurdle for breast cancer patients.
Here’s why you mustn’t delay your breast cancer screening:
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UAE
- 1 in 8 women can develop breast cancer in their lifetime
- There are no symptoms when it’s a small tumor and treatable
- 85% of diagnoses occur in women with no family history of it.
Breast cancer symptoms to watch out for:
- Look for a prominent lump in your breast or underarm which doesn’t seem to lessen or vanish. It’s often the first indication of breast cancer. An armpit swelling or inflammation around your collarbone could be related to breast cancer. An early detection always helps since your doctor can usually see a lump on a mammogram before you can see or feel it.
- Pain and tenderness, although lumps don’t usually hurt. Some may cause a prickly feeling.
- A flat or indented area on your breast. This could happen because of a tumor that you can’t see or feel, and a marble-like appearance under your skin that feels different from any other part of the breast.
- Look for changes in the physical appearance of the breast such as a marked change in its size and shape. Even a visible change in skin texture is an early indicator. Even your nipples can show unusual symptoms such as sores and dimples and sensations ranging from itching to burning.
Let’s separate the myths from the facts!
MYTH: I have no family history of breast cancer, so I won’t get it.
FACT: Most people diagnosed with breast cancer have no known family history.
MYTH: Breast cancer only happens to middle-aged & older women.
FACT: Younger women get breast cancer, as do men.
MYTH: Breast cancer always causes a lump you can feel.
FACT: Breast cancer might not cause a lump, when it first develops.
MYTH: Wearing a bra can cause breast cancer.
FACT: There’s no proof that bras cause breast cancer.
Get to know your facts rather than believing what people say.
Knowing how to detect breast cancer early always helps prevent the chance of developing breast cancer!
Did you know that breast cancer can recur?
The importance of having a regular screening for your breast health can never be underestimated when it comes to having the right breast cancer information. For starters, there’s evidence that breast cancer can come back, or recur, mostly in the first 2 years after treatment. After that period, the risk gradually lessens over time.
What you need to be aware of is when it comes to knowing all about how it could occur in:
- The same breast (local)
- In the lymph nodes near the original cancer (regional)
- In a part of your body that’s farther away (metastatic or distant)
The ‘recurrence’ of local symptoms would include:
- A new lump in your breast
- Changes in your breast, nipple, or skin
- Lumps on the skin of your chest
- Thickening on or near the scar from surgery to remove a breast (mastectomy)
How do you treat breast cancer?
Breast cancer treatment typically involves a combination of methods, depending on factors such as the stage of cancer, tumor size, and the patient’s overall health. The most common treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy.
Surgery, such as lumpectomy or mastectomy, aims to remove the cancerous tissue.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are used to kill cancer cells and prevent their growth.
Targeted therapy, on the other hand, utilizes medications to attack specific cancer cells without harming healthy ones.
The good news is that in recent years, the UAE has made significant advancements in breast cancer treatment through medical research and partnerships with renowned international institutions. These advancements have led to the development of personalized treatment plans tailored to individual patients, resulting in enhanced therapeutic outcomes.
You can get to know more about the causes of breast cancer in our earlier blog.
Don’t delay, book your screening at HealthHub Clinics today to benefit from consultation by our doctor and a breast ultrasound for just AED 249!
Register right away for our screening and consultation!
Article reviewed by:
Dr. Marjan Movassaghi
Specialist Obstetrics and Gynecology
HealthHub Clinics by Al-Futtaim
