October is the Breast Cancer Awareness month. You may have been hearing and reading a lot about breast cancer already. Do you sometimes feel that you are being overloaded with information about breast cancer? And the pink campaign is all a big farce?
There is a lot of discussion about it worldwide. But back here in India, we still have a long way to go where breast cancer awareness is concerned.
True... breast cancer is not as common here as in the US and Europe (where one in seven women has it). But it is disheartening to read the WHO (World Health Organization) report that less than 5% of Indian women between 50 and 70 years of age underwent a screening mammogram. Even those who underwent a screening mammogram rarely followed it up with another mammogram.
Clinical breast examination is also not something women get on a regular basis. Most women here still consider breast health a taboo topic and are not comfortable getting their breasts examined when they are apparently 'healthy'. Even when they are ready to go for a clinical breast examination they start looking for a female doctor...and it has to be a doctor that she and her family knows well.
There are breast clinics in major cities but very few to cater to the millions of Indian women. Moreover, not too many women walk into breast clinics unless they are continuously stimulated with breast cancer awareness programs and write-ups.
As we talk about breast cancer awareness, I thought of sharing my earlier article on the common myths about breast cancer. Hope you find it helpful.
