No fewer than 500 women on Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital underwent free breast cancer screening as part of efforts to curbing the prevalence of the disease in the society.
The medical outreach was at the instance of Lifefount Hospital, an Ilorin based medical facility in collaboration with African Research Group for Oncology.
Also included in the three days medical mission, which ended on Saturday, were free mammography and ultra sound for the beneficiaries.
Speaking to Journalists on the exercise, the Medical Director, Lifefount Hospital, Dr (Mrs) Yemisi Adeyeye, said there was need for women, who are mostly victims, to be breast aware in order to have cancer free society.
Dr (Mrs) Adeyeye urged them to embark on self breast examination through frequent check of their breasts.
“All women should be aware of their breasts, they should be doing self breast examination by checking their breasts. And for those who are still menstrating, they should check their breasts. When they start their menses the first day, they should count till seventh day. They should check their breasts between the seventh day and tenth day. Because that time, the breasts will not be as bulky as they used to be at other days of the month.
“And for women who are already in their menopausal years, they can choose a particular day of the month, to always check their breasts. Apart from checking one’s breasts by oneself, they should find time to come to the hospital, may be once in a year or six months for doctors to conduct clinical breast examination for them, which is very good.
“My advice also is that women, aged 40 years and above can do mammography at least once a year while people who are lower in age than 40 can do breast ultra sound”, Dr (Mrs) Adeyeye said.
She said the medial outreach conducted free of charge, would have cost the beneficiaries between N50,000 to N60,000.
She added, “We can’t say this is particular cause for breast cancer but there are risk factors, and that is one of the things we are also paying attention to, for this particular medical outreach that Lifefount Hospital is having with African Research Group for Oncology.
“The attention was paid to people who have first degree relatives, like people whose mother, parents, sibling or child has had breast cancer before, because they are also at risk. Because they share same genetic being.
“We are also doing this for people, who have breast complaints; breast lump, breast pain, nipple discharge. Those are the things we are focusing on”.
