Group helps breast cancer survivors

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): Her only solace today is the Breast Cancer Survivor's Club. For "Ibu", who did not want to give her real name, cannot tolerate being by herself anymore.

At the age of 68, the former educator and mother of five looked forward to being with her grandchildren. But half a year ago she was told that she had breast cancer.

These days when she is by herself and thinks of the disease she is unable to focus. She becomes breathless with anxiety and her heart begins to pound against her chest.

That is when she picks up the telephone and talks to other members of the club. The conversation calms her considerably and she is able to get on with the day.

It is not unusual for Ibu to walk into a church more often than before and to sing loudly, even if she is by herself. Ibu recalls breast-feeding three out of her five children.

Pretty Hayati had just turned 30 when a lump was discovered in her breast. She was operated on immediately and received radiation. "Luckily I went to the doctor early enough and did not need chemotherapy," she told The Jakarta Post.

But the state of her health has thrown her off balance. As an employee in an insurance company, she says she is in the habit of drowning her anxiety by working around-the-clock at the office now.

Still single, Hayati is head of the club that was started five years ago by Stella Dharmawan with five patients. Today there are about 20 members, of which 10 are active.

Hayati finds great strength in being in the company of Stella, who is a role model cancer patient. Although the club has monthly meetings, it is not rare for members to meet with each other more frequently whenever they feel like doing so.

Apart from the emotional solace that the club provides, seminars and talks on coping with life and on the disease itself are also organized under the guidance of medical experts like Dr. Evert DC Poetiray, Dr. Zubairi Djoerban and Dr. Soehartati. The emphasis is always on immediate treatment in case of any change in the shape or size of the breast or swelling of the skin that covers it. Discussions are also held on a holistic lifestyle that includes eating and thinking healthy.

Detection

Breast cancer has a 97 percent survival rate if diagnosed early enough. It remains the disease that women seem to dread most, even though it has the second highest incidence of cancers among women in Indonesia after cervical cancer, and the chances of developing heart disease are actually much higher.

Doctors emphasize the importance of performing regular breast self-examinations and getting regular mammograms, especially during the high-risk years that surround menopause.

"Lack of information about the disease and education among women prevents them from coming to us," said Poetiray, a surgical oncologist at the Jakarta Breast Center.

For nearly 80 percent of women with breast cancer, the discovery of a mass or lump in the breast is the first sign that something is not right. But the good news is that eight out of 10 lumps discovered and biopsied turn out to be noncancerous.

Dr. Poetiray told The Jakarta Post that as soon as a suspicious lump is found it is best to consult a doctor immediately as early detection is crucial for a cure.

Every possible opportunity is used to repeat information that every woman should know about the signs of breast cancer, such as that the breast tissue may feel thicker, even though there is no lump.

Other warning signs include:

* Pain or redness of the skin of the breast; the nipple may be sore or retract inside the breast.

* Scaly skin on the nipple, skin dimpling and any change in the veins in the breast. In most cases, the doctor will need to take a sample for microscopic examination to check for cancer.

* A pulling sensation or discomfort in or around the breast area. Cysts which are benign tend to move freely within the breast but when a lump appears to be immobile, or the skin is dimpled or puckered like the peel of an orange, the growth is suspected to be malignant.

* A spontaneous discharge that occurs without squeezing the breast.

As breast cancer progresses, signs and symptoms become unmistakable, including skin ulcers and extensive swelling and redness of the breast and swelling of the arm. The nipple may retract into the breast and the breast may retract into the chest.

Club members take it upon themselves to spread the word about warning signs among their friends and family. And once they become part of the club, the members are no longer called patients. Everyone is a friend, including the team of three doctors who feel that it is important for members to have a personal relationship with each other.

"Unlike other patients who come and go out of our clinic, these are people we meet on a regular basis," Dr. Poetiray points out while insisting that along with medical care, emotional solace is as important for one's health.

Further inquiries about the Jakarta Breast Center can be made at tel. 3452804.