breast cancer

Universal Church observes Pinktober

The female church members gathered to hear lifesaving messages on breast cancer. Though the invited resource guest speakers did not make it to the awareness campaign, it did not deter the church leaders from proceeding with the event.

Cancer in women especially breast cancer has become a silent killer for many women in Papua New Guinea, because of a lack of awareness and education on the disease.

This gathering was by the Caleb Club in the church led by Betty McDonald, which included parts of the church hall adorned with pink and white balloons.

Beyonce's father Mathew Knowles reveals breast cancer diagnosis

The 67-year-old told Good Morning America he was "doing really good" after having surgery in July.

Knowles said he went to his doctor and got a mammogram after seeing recurring dots of blood on his shirt and sheets.

The music executive and public speaker admitted he had thought "why me?" on learning he had the condition.

"Of all the things I could get, why would I get this?" he told GMA interviewer Michael Strahan.

Male breast cancer is rare and usually occurs in men over 60.

 

     

Early action is everyone’s responsibility to prevent breast cancer

And the best way to avoid this, is to detect breast abnormalities early.

This message was stressed on Friday in respect of the Pink Ribbon day for breast cancer awareness.

Relaying this was Ella Winge, technical advisor, Cancer Control Program, National Department of Health.

Winge's statement is simple:

You are your own doctor!

She said men, women and young girls in PNG have all been affected by this form of cancer and leaving it to its late stage was the common and very dangerous mistake made by everyone.

Early detection increases survival rate of breast cancer

The message is coming from the Cancer Control Program, National Department of Health.  

This month is also Breast Cancer awareness month.

Ellie Winge, technical advisor with Cancer Control Program, said a letter was sent to the Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari informing him of this initiative so all public servants would wear pink today (Friday, October 20).

This disease affects people across all sectors so everyone is asked to wear pink.

Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus reveals breast cancer

"1 in 8 women get breast cancer," she wrote. "Today I'm the one."

She said the "good news" was that she had a "glorious group" of family and friends supporting her and "fantastic" insurance through her union.

The 56-year-old has also featured on Saturday Night LiveThe New Adventures of Old Christine and played Elaine Benes on Seinfeld.

Earlier this month, Louis-Dreyfus picked up a record-breaking sixth Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a row for her role in HBO series Veep.

Neighborhoods with more light have higher breast cancer risk

The findings are based on the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), which has for decades been advancing our understanding of risks to women's health.

Free cancer awareness workshops

This will take place on August 7th and 14th at the Royal Papua Yacht Club, in recognition of the Daffodil Campaign.

Each Cancer Education & Awareness Workshop will run for an hour and will be conducted by the PNGCF health educator.

The workshop will focus on cervical and breast cancer, signs and symptoms and the importance of prevention and detection as a way to reduce their risk of developing these cancers in the future. Each workshop will end with a question & answer session.

Women at great risk: Physician

This is due to the current way of life.

Breast cancer is common in women aged 40 and beyond. 

But Pacific International Hospital’s medical doctor and chief physician, Dr Suresh Venkita, says this is not the case anymore.

Unfortunately, the age for breast cancer has greatly dropped, he said.

And among other reasons, he highlighted the main factor being women’s delay into motherhood combined with their smoking habits.

Women dying due to lack of education: Local

Gou Ovia, organiser of the Pink Hahine appeal, which is a charity fundraiser, is helping raise funds for her aunt, 43-year-old mother of three, Henoa Kellei, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The Pink Hahine cocktail fundraiser was held at the Helifix Hanger at Seven-Mile in Port Moresby last Friday night.

“The reason why women are dying is because they don’t have enough education about this subject, so hopefully if we raise over our targeted amount for our aunty, we can bring some awareness to our local villagers at Gabagaba,” Ovia said.

What is mammography?

Well, a mammography is a low-dose x-ray procedure to see the internal structure of the breast.

It’s commonly used in examination of breast cancer - one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women.

According to Globocan 2012, an estimated 1.7 million women worldwide were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and 6.3 million women were already diagnosed living with this cancer in the previous years.

Mammography is the preferred screening examination for breast cancer. It is widely available, can be easily done and affordable.