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Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Catch the crab in time
By Leticia Suarez-Orendain
Community Force
The zodiac sign Cancer is the same name given to the disease - cancer. Symbolized in the zodiac as the crab, a cancerous mass looks like a crab too.
Before it announces itself clearly, cancer cells do damage as silently as the crab moves. That is why it must be caught in time.
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that invade nearby tissues and spread to distant sites like the lungs, liver and bones.
Breast cancer is increasing in many countries at a mean rate of one to two percent yearly.
It is estimated that during the first decade of the third millennium nearly one million women have had this disease yearly worldwide.
Breast cancer is the number one killer among women. The ratio is one out of eight women will be affected by it in her lifetime.
In the Philippines the incidence is 30 per 100,000 women. It is considered one of the highest rates in Asia.
This information is from the 2001 study by the Breast Cancer Working Group, and the Manual on Clinical Oncology.
Dr. Eliezer Ligo, the guest speaker from Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) Department of Surgery, shared this during a media briefing last week.
Hosted by the Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS) in coordination with the cancer network Can With God, it was their participation in Pink October. It is a universal, breast cancer awareness drive.
Better than talking about these groups is to make women aware of breast cancer prevention.
Dr. Stephen Sixto Siguan, PCS regent and Dr. Shawn Espina, president, PCS, were one in saying that for the advocacy to work early detection is important. This echoes the PCS slogan “Early detection saves lives.”
Dr. Siguan said that majority of women who go to the VSMMC have stage 3 or stage 4 cancer. One reason for the delay in seeing a doctor is lack of money.
“Many have the knowledge but don’t practice breast self-examination (BSE),” Dr. Ligo added.
Detection, prevention. For early detection, a woman must have monthly BSE by age 20.
* By age 30, she must have yearly BSE by a health worker.
* By age 50, a woman must have yearly mammography.
Nutrition and physical activity play a role in reducing risk of breast cancer.
* Eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables everyday. One serving may include one medium apple (or any other fruit), ¾ cup vegetable or fruit juice, or one cup of raw leafy vegetables, or ½ cup of other raw or cooked vegetables.
* Refrain from drinking alcohol or limit consumption to less than one drink a day. One drink means five ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor.
* Exercise. Do 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise everyday.
* Maintain a healthy body weight. Cut down on total and saturated animal fat.
* Avoid processed meat. Fish, especially fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines, are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. It has been found to have a protective effect and reduces the risk of heart disease.
Risk factors. Dr. Ligo noted that the longer the exposure to estrogen, the fuel of cancer, the more risk there is in developing the disease.
But added, “About 70 to 80 percent of breast cancer has no known factor.”
Generally being a woman is a factor because of estrogen exposure starting at puberty. Another
factor is growing older (age over 40).
Other factors are a family history of breast cancer, menstruation before 12 years of age, menopause beyond 55 years old and having no children.
Signs of breast cancer: breast mass, skin dimpling, bloody nipple discharges, nipple retraction, skin ulceration and asymmetrical breast (i.e. one breast grows bigger than the other).
Every woman is responsible for her health. She must remember that her breasts are more than the vessels to nurture a baby (primary function) or entice her mate (secondary function). Its health could save her life.
(October 7, 2003 issue)
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