[Dimanche, 13 Octobre 2024 16:38:28 +0300]
Sanaa – Saba :
The month of October every year is a special health and social month, as the world dedicates it to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, and the color pink is a symbol of this and is called ” Pink October ». »
This period aims to highlight the importance of early detection and raise awareness about breast cancer, which is the most common type of cancer among women worldwide..
Awareness campaigns highlight the importance of regular check-up and early detection of the disease, as the chances of treatment and cure increase.
The global ‘Pink October’ initiative was launched in October 2006, as an international charity campaign is implemented to raise awareness, support and provide information and support against this disease.
Recent studies have proven that breast cancer is the most common type of malignancy worldwide, surpassing lung cancer for the first time in 2020.
Breast cancer can affect both men and women, but it is more common in women. It can affect one eighth of women during their lifetime and is considered one of the most common causes of cancer death.
In 2020, around 2.3 million women were diagnosed with it, leading to around half a million deaths worldwide. By the end of the same year, 7.8 million women alive had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years.
The month of “Pink October” brings many actions and contributions to raise awareness about breast cancer and ways to prevent it, and to provide regular treatment and care if it is discovered at an early stage, which avoids the spread of cancerous tumors to the rest. organs of the body, and thus the affected woman enjoys the quality of life like any other person, far from the repercussions of the disease when it is discovered at an advanced stage.
Breast cancer awareness and research funding have helped advance the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and increase patient survival rates.
In Yemen, as part of its efforts to raise awareness of breast cancer and the importance of early detection, and as part of its social responsibility; This year 2024, the Cancer Fund is implementing the sixth national breast cancer awareness campaign under the slogan “Check your health”.
The campaign, which continues until October 31, aims to raise awareness among the community about breast cancer, its symptoms, infection factors, ways to prevent it and self-examination methods for early detection, thereby helping to reduce infection rates and resulting deaths.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Madani, explained to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that breast cancer ranks first among the most common cancers in the country, in due to the low level of community awareness of the importance of self-examination and early detection, in addition to the many contributing factors to the origin of cancer.
He pointed out that the most important factors that contribute to breast cancer are advanced age, delay in pregnancy beyond 30 years, lack of breastfeeding, delay in stopping menstruation after 55 years, smoking of all kinds, excessive obesity and lack of breastfeeding. exercise.
Dr Al-Madani said breast cancer is a curable disease if discovered early, the greater the chances of treatment and the higher the cure rate. motivate society to pay attention to health by carrying out regular periodic check-ups and rushing to doctors if they suspect the appearance of any of the symptoms of breast cancer described in the campaign’s awareness messages .
He highlighted that this campaign is the sixth in a series of awareness campaigns on the most common cancer diseases in the country, which the Fund is implementing within the framework of health awareness plans and programs aimed at members of the community.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cancer Fund called on all members of society and its institutions to interact positively with the campaign and actively contribute to its success by spreading awareness messages through networking sites social and media platforms to build a future in which everyone enjoys health.
Breast cancer occurs when certain cells in the breast begin to grow abnormally. These cells divide more quickly than healthy cells and form a mass or tumor. The cells can travel through the breast to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body.
The most common type of breast cancer begins in the milk-producing glands, and it may also begin in one of the sublobes or in other breast tissues. In most cases, it is not known why healthy cells in breast tissue turn into cancerous cells.
Researchers have identified lifestyle, hormonal and environmental factors that can increase the risk of breast cancer, but it is not clear why some people develop cancer even if they are not surrounded by any risk factor, while other people exposed to risk factors do not. Risk Breast cancer is likely to occur due to the complex interaction of your genetic makeup and the environment in which you live.
Scientific studies have also proven that there are many contributing factors to the cause of this cancer, the most important being: aging. If a woman is over 55, she is more susceptible to breast cancer and infection from first-degree relatives. (due to genetics), screening should therefore be carried out periodically for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, as well as for delayed pregnancy after the age of 30 or non-pregnancies.
Another factor is the absence of breastfeeding, because breastfeeding protects women from breast cancer, as well as early puberty, before age 12, and a delay in stopping the menstrual cycle after age 55.
Factors also include certain types of treatment, such as radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or use of hormonal contraceptives, as well as exposure to radiation at an early age (before age thirty).
Contributing factors that cause breast cancer include previous infection with malignant breast tumors or certain types of benign tumors, obesity, lack of exercise, and smoking of any kind.
Lifestyle changes help reduce the risk of breast cancer, including regular self- and clinical exams, limiting hormone therapy after menopause, avoiding chemicals associated with cancer, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and following a healthy diet.
Knowing the factors that cause breast cancer and better knowing its signs, how to detect and treat it and prevention methods contribute to reducing the incidence of infection, in addition to the fact that early detection contributes to higher rates of cure of up to 95 percent. .
