One in four women in India are prone to die due to breast cancer. The disease is the biggest killer as 18% of the population in the country are affected by breast cancer, said R. Rajkumar, consultant medical oncologist, Velammal Medical College and Hospital here, on Saturday.
He was speaking at the Continuing Medical Education programme on ‘Breast Cancer 2022, New Horizons,’ organised by Velammal Hospital.
Field experts in oncology, pathology, radiology, surgical and medical oncology, expert doctors and surgeons from leading hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai etc took part in the conference.
Dr. Rajkumar noted that the important causes for the increase in incidence of breast cancer in the past 15 years is due to the sedentary lifestyle, altered food habits leading to obesity, high usage of plastic, environmental degradation and pollution etc.
There is 90% to 95% of survival rates if the cancer is detected in its early stages such as stage 1 and 2, which indicates longer survival period. “Whereas when detected at stage 4, the rate drops to 11%, which is why doctors insist that early detection is the matra,” he added.
He said that any painless swelling, a non-healing ulcer or any discharge from the nipple are alarming signs, usually referred to as “red signals,” which must be clinically examined by doctors at the earliest.
He also said that monthly self-examination is mandatory while annual check-ups by the doctor are essential.
The attendees discussed the recent trends and research carried out in treating breast cancer, new medicines available in the market, advancements in radiation therapy, surgery and supportive care.
Panel discussions, debates, lectures on topics such as recent advances in breast reconstructive surgery, current and future role of Artificial Intelligence in breast pathology etc., were held.
