Breast cancer: Niger State governor’s wife calls for regular examination

THE wife of the Niger State governor, Dr Amina Abubakar Bello, has advised women on the need to avail themselves of regular breast examinations to avoid the high risk of breast cancer.

Mrs Bello stated this in a statement by her spokesperson, Rabi Sarki Bello, during a breast cancer awareness day organised by the Pink Hope Foundation.

The governor’s wife, who is the promoter of Raise Foundation, a non-governmental organization and also the ambassador for the Pink Hope Foundation, said, “Breast cancer is one of the commonest killer diseases among women and can totally be cured if detected at an early stage.”

She pointed out that most women shy away from facing reality by not going to the hospital for medical treatment, but instead engaging in traditional medicine which often causes more damage.

Dr Bello, who further called on women to embrace breast cancer self-examination, screening and other medical treatment, as early detection is cheaper and saves lives, explained that women between 45 and 54 years of age should have a mammogram every year, while women of 55 years and above should have biennial screening.

She also enjoined women at high risk of breast cancer based on certain factors to get an MRI and mammogram scan every year.

Mrs Bello commended the Pink Hope Foundation for sustaining the breast cancer awareness programme over the years.