The number of patients suffering from breast cancer is increasing alarmingly in Bangladesh due to lack of awareness about early detection and unwillingness in taking treatment for a number of causes like social taboos, speakers told a seminar.
They informed that about 12,764 new breast cancer patients are detected every year while the number of deaths from the deadly disease has stood annually at 6,846 across the country and the situation in getting worse day-by-day.
As a result, breast cancer has become one of the top category cancers affecting Bangladeshi women and third deadly on the list of cancers for both men and women in Bangladesh, they observed.
They came up with the observations at the scientific seminar on ‘Breast Cancer Imaging’ held recently in the auditorium of the BIRDEM hospital in the city. Bangladesh Society of Radiology and Imaging organised the event.
Referring to the data of World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the speakers said, “65.5 percent of breast cancer patients delayed their diagnosis by more than six months, although 83 percent of them found lumps in their breast or had other symptoms of breast cancer.” The speakers blamed social taboos and unawareness as the main reasons for unchecked breast cancer and delay in early detection.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital Professor Mizanur Rahman attended the seminar as chief guest with President of Bangladesh Society of Radiology and Imaging Professor Enayet Karim in the chair.
Secretary General of the Bangladesh Society of Radiology and Imaging Dr Shahriar Nabi delivered the welcome address while Dr Bishwajit Bhowmik and Dr Fatema Doza moderated the seminar.
The speakers talked about the importance of imaging in screening of breast cancer. Though mammogram was previously an important tool for screening of breast cancer, nowadays ultrasonography plays immense role in screening as well as diagnosis, they said.
With the advent of newer technology, newer machines are innovated which increases the sensitivity and specificity as well, the speakers said.
They also depicted a plan of “one stop cancer care centre” through which a patient can have all the facilities from diagnosis to treatment and counseling under a single umbrella.
With the hope of creating more conscience among the people will lessen the morbidity and mortality the CME ended – early imaging and early detection; saves life and best protection. “One of the things usually found that shame attached to speaking about sexual organs and reproductive health. This causes a lack of communications with friends and mothers about these subjects.
