About 300 female employees of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, were yesterday screened of breast cancer at the institutions’ auditorium by a team of experts.

Before the test commenced, the women were hosted to a lecture on breast cancer awareness which was organised by the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Women Association (NAUWA).

Delivering a lecture on the ‘Causes and Prevention of Breast Cancer Among Women’, the guest lecturer, Prof. Stanley Anyanwu, submitted that breast cancer can be caused by generic factors such as family history, early menarche, late menopause, radiation exposure or individual lifestyle.

The lifestyle he noted include: smoking, high fat diet and exposure to ultraviolent rays, advising the women to cultivate the attitude of regular breast check.

Anyanwu, who is also a professor of surgery (Breast Oncology and Gastroenterology), however noted that cancer symptoms include nipple discharge and inversion, slowly growing mars in the breast and severe pain but urged women of child bearing age to always go for medical check on their breasts.

He assured women that early discovery of breast cancer can be cured adding that “breast cancer can be cured and the breast retained if dictated early but if it is dictated late, the woman cannot be cured.”

Earlier, the convener and Coordinator of the women group, Dr. Gladys Ifesinachi Ahaneku, explained that the essence of the women group was to promote friendly relationship among the female staff of the university.

Dr. Ahaneku, who incidentally is the wife of the Vice chancellor of the university regretted that many female staff of the institution has died of breast cancer, which, she said informed the decision of organising the awareness campaign.

Dr. Ahaneku, a consultant Physician and Cardiologist expressed displeasure at the attitude of some women that embarks on self medication, stressing that citizens should consult rather than embark on self medication.

Participants of the programme Prof. Tracy Ofoezeadi, Chigozie Chukwulota and Mrs Ify Obi expressed satisfaction at the programme, saying that the workshop has exposed them to many things about the causes, prevention and treatment of breast cancer in this 21st century.

Update news