Breast Cancer Screening: The Why and Why Now?

Prevention is better than cure

 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once famously said that “if you educate a man you educate an individual, however, if you educate a woman you educate a whole family.”

Similarly, if you make a woman healthy, you healthify the whole family.

One key issue that plagues women’s health is breast cancer, the most common type of cancer for women.

Breast cancer has been called an epidemic with the highest incidence and prevalence among all cancers globally, as well as in India.

Current trends point out that a higher proportion of the disease is occurring at a younger age in Indian women, as compared to the West. The National Cancer Registry Program analyzed data from cancer registries for the period from 1988 to 2013 for changes in the incidence of cancer. All population-based cancer registries have shown a significant increase in the trend of BC. In India in 1990, the cervix was the leading site of cancer followed by BC in the registries of Bangalore (23.0% vs 15.9%), Bhopal (23.2% vs 21.4%), Chennai (28.9% vs 17.7%) and Delhi (21.6% vs 20.3%), while in Mumbai, the breast was the leading site of cancer (24.1% vs 16.0%). By the years 2000-2003, the scenario had changed, and breast had overtaken the leading site of cancer in all the registries except in the rural registry of Barshi (16.9% vs 36.8%) {According to WJCO}

Let us understand what drives poor diagnosis of breast cancer in the earlier stages:

  1. Clinical reasons
    1. Women tend to consult 3 or more different health services before arrival at a cancer centre
    2. The Medical speciality of the first provider consulted
    3. Medical errors in initial diagnosis, screening interpretation or pathology review.
  1. Para-clinical reasons
    1. Lack of screening and diagnostic tests in local facilities.
    2. Long waiting time for diagnostic tests
    3. And the long distance to referral facilities.
  2. Socio-cultural reasons
    1. Women shy away from discussing breast issues
    2. Women tend to put their health on the back burner
  3. Financial reasons
    1. Existing screening and diagnostics programmes are expensive 
  4. Awareness
    1. Lack of awareness about the growing incidence of cancer, and breast cancer
    2. Living in denial 
  5. Fragmented Screening to Treatment pathway 
    1. Once screening is done, there may be a huge interval between screening to diagnosis and a definitive treatment plan.

The majority of breast cancers are discovered at a somewhat advanced stage due to a lack of awareness of this disease and a lack of a breast cancer screening programme.

Since we are a 360° integrated healthcare ecosystem, with a fundamentally different approach to dealing with cancer, we aim at targeting the hitherto untouched subjects so that not just people already in the healthcare providers ecosystem, but also, people unaware can be screened and the disease is caught earlier on. 

To know about our Breast screening programme, leave your details below:

If yes, you should strongly consider this screening at your premises once a year. We need a minimum of 30 females to organize a camp. If lesser, we can do a home screening.

Now the question arises :

Why Breast Cancer screening is necessary :

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and early detection is key to successful treatment. That’s why it’s important to get screened for breast cancer and to do so on a regular basis.

There have been two main types of breast cancer screening: mammography and clinical breast exams. Mammography is an X-ray of the breast, and it can be used to detect tumours that cannot be felt during a clinical breast exam. Clinical breast exams are performed by trained healthcare professionals, and they involve feeling the breasts for lumps or other abnormalities.

A novel technology that has now emerged with proven clinical supremacy in detecting breast cancer cases and eliminating the challenges associated with conducting the screenings. This is a Non-Invasive Risk Assessment with Machine Intelligence (NIRAMAI) using thermal imaging cameras. This is no touch, no contact, no see, no radiation, no invasion. At Healium.io, we are executing breast cancer screening programmes. If you’re due for a breast cancer screening, schedule an appointment with us today.

This technology can be used for identifying new at-risk subjects, disease monitoring and the effectiveness of therapy as it is completely non-invasive.

The why and the why now?

WHY: 

  • -Because early detection of breast cancer improves survival rates.
  • -According to the National Cancer Institute, if caught early, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is 99%.
  • -If breast cancer is not caught early, the 5-year survival rate drops to 26%.

WHY NOW:

  • -There are more options than ever before for early detection of breast cancer. 
  • -There is more public awareness about the importance of early detection. 
  • -There are more resources available to help with early detection. 
  • – If you really facing any symptoms or any genetic tendency in your family or loved one then you have to check yourself immediately.

If you or someone you know has not had a breast cancer screening, now is the time to get one. Early detection is crucial to improving survival rates. With more options, more awareness, and more resources available than ever before, there is no excuse.

If you and your friend want to have a screening then please fill up this form.

To know about our Breast screening programme, leave your details below:

If yes, you should strongly consider this screening at your premises once a year. We need a minimum of 30 females to organize a camp. If lesser, we can do a home screening.