500 women screened for breast cancer in Ilorin

NO fewer than 500 women have benefited from a free-breast-cancer screening in Ilorin in order to curb its prevalence.

Dr Yemisi Adeyeye, the Medical Director of Lifefount Hospital, told journalists that there was the need for women to be aware of the existence of the disease at its early stage.

She said that this was because women are usually the most affected victims and their early awareness of its existence in their breasts would lead to a cancer-free society.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day medical outreach was organised by the hospital in collaboration with the African Research Group for Oncology.

Adeyeye advised women to always embark on self-breast examinations through frequent checks of their breasts for lumps and other strange features around their breasts.

“Those who are still menstruating should also check their breasts between the seventh day and the tenth day after menstruation.

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“This is because, by that time, the breasts will not be as bulky as they used to be in the rest days of the month.

“For women who are already in their menopausal years, they can choose a particular day of the month to always check their breasts.

“Apart from checking one’s breasts by oneself, they also should create time to visit the hospital.

“This can be once in a year or once in six months for doctors to conduct clinical breast examinations for them; which is very good.’’

She advised women from 40-years’ old and above to do mammography at least once in a year while those below 40-years of age should do breast ultrasound.

Adeyeye said if not for the free medical outreach, it would have cost each of the beneficiaries between N50,000 and N60,000 to do a breast- cancer screening.

She said that nobody could say what usually causes breast cancer in particular but that there were some risk factors.

She said that those were some of the things that they also paid attention to during the medical outreach.

“The outreach paid attention to people who have first degree relatives, like people whose mothers, parents, siblings or children have had breast cancer in the past.

“This is because such people are also at risk because they share the same genetic being with their first degree relatives.

“We are also doing this for people who have breast complaints such as breast lump, breast pain, and nipple discharge. These are the things we are focusing on,” she said.

NAN reports that the medical mission also featured free mammography and ultrasound for the beneficiaries.

NAN