by Sachin Murdeshwar
We had the privilege of having Dr. Kanchan Kaur from Medanta Hospital to educate our teachers and support staff regarding the importance of detecting breast cancer at an early stage.
Breast Cancer Awareness – is the need of the hour. She began with the physical properties and the composition of a breast. They are made of specialized glandular tissues and fatty tissues; this was explained very well with the help of diagrams so that even the support staff was able to understand well.
There are no specific causes of breast cancer, however a proper self-breast check done regularly reduces the risk of late detection of the cancer cells developing in the area. To put it in a lay man’s language, a normal breast tissue would be like moving your palm over a bag of peas, but if you feel the presence of a lemon kind of obstruction in a bag of peas there is a cause for concern, and one needs to see a doctor immediately. Other breast related symptoms could be pain, lump, nipple discharge, nipple inversion, signs of infection or lumps in the armpit which one needs to be vary of. After the age of 40, it is advised to get yearly mammograms done. It is statistically proven that women in the rural areas are more aware of their bodily changes as compared to the urban women. Women need to be more aware of good dietary habits, exercise and give some time for their regular checkups – basically a lifestyle change in order to prevent breast cancer.
Benefits of timely screening is to save lives. So be aware and live a healthy life.