Thiruvananthapuram becomes Breast Cancer capital of India

Manoj T. Pillai, IRIA's State Secretary, said breast cancer was the most common malignancy affecting one million women worldwide and it constitutes about 21 per cent of 519,000 yearly deaths.

"Breast cancer can be detected at an early stage and treated. Radiology has a great role to play but the common people are still ignorant about it."

"We need more awareness and upgradation of public information system to overcome the prevailing situation," said Pillai.

The appropriate age for a mammogram is usually over 40 years but it should be done as a diagnostic tool for those who have symptoms, irrespective of the age.

"If annual checkups are done, detection can be made early and even in stage 2 of breast cancer, it can be treated. One reason why in the past detection took place late was because of a social stigma as many do not wish to get a check-up, but that has changed in the cities. The need of the hour is that awareness should be spread for timely check-ups," added Pradeep.

Speaking to IANS, the husband of a patient whose left breast was removed last month said that "it was tough for my wife to adjust to the reality, but now she has come to terms after being told that she should consider herself extremely lucky that this it detected quite early".

"It was just through a casual self-examination by my wife she felt a lump and the same day she underwent a mammogram and in a week's time it was removed. I have now asked my sisters and told all my friends to see that their wives too undergo a check-up," he said, whose 40-year-old wife underwent a breast removal surgery.