72 October 2014 www.womanthismonth.com Bahrain has the highest number of breast cancer cases in all of the GCC. So whether you are 60, 20, or anywhere in between, it’s worth knowing the deal on this deadly disease, which is now gripping more women than ever. Breast Cancer — What, Why, When? Our expert: Dr Kiran Bijlani, obstetrician and gynaecologist at Royal Bahrain Hospital Breast cancer is a ‘nonsensical’ overgrowth of cells in the breast tissue. They grow and spread to the body’s lymphatic and vascular systems, causing tremendous harm to the whole body. These dangerous cells deplete the body of immunity, ultimately causing mortality. It is notorious for spreading to other parts of the body rather rapidly. “This type of cancer is most unpredictable. A small lump may spread extremely fast, especially in the case of younger women,” says Dr Kiran. “Lumps which persist beyond the time of menstruation must be checked. It’s important to remember that growths which are not painful and are fixed to the skin or the chest wall signal a bad prognosis, as opposed to those lumps which move about. I strongly recommend that painless, fixed lumps should not be ignored.” The disease shows highest incidence in women over 50 years, but our expert sees young victims as well. She advocates a monthly breast self-examination from the age of 20 years onwards, which every girl must learn to do. After 30, a physician’s examination every two years is essential. Periodic mammograms as per the doctor’s orders after 40 years are imperative. “Breast cancer is wrongly thought to be a genetic disease. The percentage of genetically influenced cases is actually quite small,” says Dr Kiran. “Besides age and gender, there are other risk factors at play. This is an oestrogen-based cancer. More exposure to oestrogen, due to early menarche and late menopause, increases the risk of breast cancer. Your lifestyle is an important contributory factor. Obese women tend to store extra oestrogen in their peripheral fat, raising their risk of cancer.” Symptoms include a lump in the breast, reddish breast discharge or orange-peel LIFESTYLE | wellbeing At War with Breast Cancer by BEHNAZ SANJANA The month of October is going to be screaming out ‘breast cancer awareness’ around the Kingdom with charity campaigns being the flavour of the month. Read on to know how you can protect yourself from the disease. Sound knowledge is half the battle won!
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