By LILIAN OKORO

Dr Wasiu Adeyemo, Chief Medical Director, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), has advised women to be breast aware and make their health a priority, especially by checking their cancer status.

Represented by Dr Ayodeji Oluwole, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committees LUTH, Adeyemo, gave the advice at a lecture organised by the hospital to commemorate the 2024 Breast Awareness Month (BAM) on Saturday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that BAM is marked annually in the month of October to raise awareness on breast cancer.

October has been designated as the Pink Month.

The Pink Month is a month where efforts to educate those concerned about the disease, including early identification and signs and symptoms associated with breast cancer.

The 2024 BAM has the theme: ?No One Should Face Breast Cancer Alone?.

He said that women needed to be more enlightened about breast cancer.

He said that the more women were aware of breast cancer, the more they would go for screening and treatment and the higher the chances of survival from the disease.

?The event is more about public enlightenment and awareness about breast cancer ? that no one should die from breast cancer.

?The more the women are well informed that breast cancer is curable, the more they screen for the disease and seek for treatment.

?With advocacy, no one will say that she/he is not aware that cancer has a cure treatment if detected early.

?So, it will now be left for the Federal Government to develop programmes of screening, prevention and affordable treatment,? he said.

The Chief Clinical Coordinator, NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre, Dr Habeebu Muhammed, urged women to cultivate the habit of carrying out self examination of their breast at least once every month.

Muhammed, also a Radiation Oncologist and Keynote Speaker at the event, said that women should also go for screenings, clinical examination and mammogram test for women above 40 years or ultrasound test for women below 40 years.

According to him, with any of the breast tests, breast cancer can be detected early and treated with little or no cost.

He explained that regular screening and early detection were key to survival of cancer, advising that people must refrain from living in self-denial.

The Oncologist said that some people with cancer lived in self-denial only to present the case and seek medical intervention late when the situation had become complicated.

According to him, excessive intake of alcohol, cigarette and self-medication should be avoided by women.

?The best way to avert the consistent and continued pattern of cancer claiming lives is early detection through check-up such as the mammogram, ultrasound, sonogram and pap smear.

?Early detection increases the chances of survival and preserves many more lives.

?We are encouraging women in Nigeria to be breast cancer aware, so that they will see the need to carry out regular cancer screening and breast self-examination.

?Participating in screening programmes is vital to ensure that cancer is detected early, and you have the best chance of treating and surviving.

?So, we need more eligible women to make the effort to participate in recommended screening programs and encourage others to do the same ? it could save your life,? he said.

Muhammed, explained that at NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre, no fewer than 11,000 patients had been treated for breast cancer over the last five years.

A Consultant General Surgeon, Dr Lawal Abdulrazzaq, identified funds, ignorance and coordination of stakeholders and support for the cancer patients as major challenges to cancer treatment in Nigeria.

Abdulrazzaq, who spoke on the topic: ?Breast Cancer; Not A Death Sentence?, said that most Nigerians were still ignorant about breast cancer and as a result could not know how, when or where to seek for treatment.

He decried that treatment of breast cancer which could be done through chemotherapy, surgery and alike was expensive, calling for support and succour to cancer patients.

According to him, to effectively treat breast cancer requires the support and cooperation of the patient, society and medical community.

He, therefore, advised that the mammogram or ultrasound test should be done in every two years, to help detect an abnormal growth in the breast.

?Breast cancer is not a death sentence; it is a treatable disease if diagnosed early ? meaning that early detection is key.

Two cancer Survivors ? Mrs Florence Opayebo and Mrs Nadash Ahamata, narrated the story of how they survived cancer for 17 years and five years respectively.

According to them, there is no hope for survival considering the financial implications of moving from one hospital to another until they visited NSIA- LUTH Cancer Centre, where they received treatment and cure for the disease. (NAN)