Dr Nike Bello, a Lecturer and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, on Thursday described breast cancer as the greatest killer of women world-wide.
Bello said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.
The consultant, who said that one out of eight women in Nigeria developed breast cancer monthly, described the disease as a silent killer which should be controlled.
The gynaecologist defined breast cancer as an uncontrolled growth of breast cells.
She said the cells occurred due to mutations or abnormal changes in the genes responsible for regulating the growth of cells and keeping them healthy.
According to her, breast cancer can be treated and managed successfully if detected early and advised women of reproductive age to always examine their breasts immediately after their menses.
She said hormonal level is low after menses and any sign of mass or lump would easily be revealed.
"Women from the age of 18 and above should examine their breasts monthly after each monthly flow. All breast cancers are not the same but can be treated. More tests have to be done to find out the specific pattern and the extent of the disease or stages. This important step is called "staging". After accurate diagnosis and proper staging, a suitable treatment plan is made,” she said.
According to Bello, there are several modalities of the treatment including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy, which are used in a combination.
"Every woman should cultivate the habit of visiting primary health care centres for her health needs. Please, be aware that these diseases do not present any noticeable symptoms until at later stages, and this could be too expensive to treat and manage. The World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics show that 22 per cent of women are affected by this killer disease." she said.
The consultant said that hypertension, cancer and diabetes were some of the non-communicable diseases that became prevalent and responsible for more than 60 per cent of deaths in the world.
"If this trend is not controlled, the diseases are expected to account for 73 per cent of deaths, and 60 per cent of the disease burden by the year 2020."
Clued from NAN
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