Breast cancer a beast to watch out for
Breast cancer a beast to watch out for
Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The recent headlines on the demise of the Malaysian first lady, Datin Seri Endon Mahmood, raised breast cancer awareness in the region.
Endon discovered she had cancer in 2002 following a checkup after her twin sister Noraini was earlier diagnosed with the disease. Noraini died in 2003.
A website www.wikinews.org details Endon's four-year struggle against cancer, including a mastectomy and rounds of chemotherapy in the United States.
Her devotion to awareness and charity programs was an example for many. She showed that breast cancer is not something distant. It can happen to anyone, though women are more likely to develop cancer than men.
Endon, like so many others, was not diagnosed until the late stages of the cancer.
A doctor for an insurance company here was diagnosed with breast cancer. She also found it late and, after surgery, was told the cancer had spread to other parts of her body. It attacked her lungs.
Oncologist Sutjipto said "Almost 70 percent of patients coming to cancer clinics and hospitals are already in the advanced stages. The earlier it is detected, the better the prognosis."
"Breast cancer is a serious disease. The incidence of breast cancer is 20 percent higher than other cancerous diseases. In the U.S. there are 18,000 cases per year, the Netherlands has 91 cases a year per 100,000 women, and here there are 10 cases per 100,000 women."
Breast cancer is ranked as the second biggest killer for women after cervical cancer here, Sutjipto concluded. About five to 10 percent of cases are hereditary and research is continuing to look further at the relationship between family history and the risk of cancer.
"The common health campaign of prevention is better than cure doesn't fit this disease. The important thing is to detect the disease as early as possible," he said.
The disease is not something new for the country as the media and the Internet are replete with information on the disease, survivors and case studies.
But most of the time the information is taken in stride without compelling the receiver to act by, for example, checking their health status or reevaluating their lifestyle.
"Yes, I heard about the campaign launched by the Pitapink movement. But that's all, we never know what to do, nor where to go because there is something missing in the breast cancer awareness campaign," said 25-year-old Ratnasari Dewi, an employee of a public relations company.
"It's not like the campaign for HIV/AIDS, which has seen the deep involvement of the media. Somehow, such a campaign must be held nationwide so people will know, and the message will get through," she said.
"Moreover, for many people here discussing breasts is taboo. But this is a health issue and must be a priority for women since it concerns their quality of life."
Ratnasari suggested private companies encourage their female employees -- aged 35 and above -- to routinely examine their breasts.
"Nowadays more and more women are working, and I think it would also benefit the companies to have healthy employees because, like it or not, companies must be responsible for paying for the health insurance of their employees."
Pitapink or the pink ribbon is a symbol for breast cancer awareness appointed in 1991 by Evelyn H. Lauder, the founder & president of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Alexandra Penney, then-editor of Self Magazine.
In this country, Yayasan Kesehatan Payudara Jakarta (YKPJ) raises breast cancer awareness through its campaign Gerakan Pita Pink. Actress Rima Melati, who is herself is breast cancer survivor, has joined the campaign. The foundation kicked off the campaign by operating a "mobile mammography" van in some areas of Jakarta, providing free tests for women.
Swiss-based PT Roche Indonesia also held a month-long pink ribbon campaign.
Besides distributing pink ribbons, it also circulated reminder notes: "wear the ribbon to show your support and share information about breast cancer."
The small pink brochures also mentioned the fact that one in four people with breast cancer has HER2+ status. "Ask for a HER2 test if you are diagnosed as having breast cancer, for the right treatment."
What is HER2?
It is an acronym for Human Epidermal growth Receptor 2, a protein found on the surface of cells that plays a key role in regulating cell growth. When the HER2 gene is altered, extra HER2 proteins may be produced. The overly produced protein may result in aggressive tumor cells, according to a website www.biology.iupui.edu.
If the status of HER2 is known, treatment then usually aims at slowing the growth of the cell with excessively produced HER2 protein.
While waiting for other breakthroughs in cancer treatment, it is wise for people at risk to recheck their status. Again, for this disease prevention does not help, it is early detection that saves.
10 most fatal cancers in Indonesia:
1. Cervical
2. Breast
3. Lymphoma
4. Aesophagus
5. Sarcoma
6. Ovarian cancer
7. Aneurysm
8. Colon
9. Lung
10.Soft tissue
Source : Sutjipto