There’s a lot of pink during October since many people, thankfully so, hope to raise support and greater awareness of breast cancer. For the month so far, I have engaged a few women who have been battling breast cancer. I also read stories of other fighters and survivors. It isn’t uncommon to see many stories featuring these women during October. And it remains imperative to talk about breast cancer.

Based on reports, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Guyana. Though some men are affected, most cases are among women. As is a key message now with increased awareness of breast cancer, most people can survive breast cancer if it is detected early and treated as soon as possible. The World Health Organization (WHO) says breast cancers may spread to other areas of the body and trigger other symptoms; the cancerous cells may spread to the lungs, liver, brain and bones. Naturally, that comes with its own set of complications.

So many have been on the crusade to increase awareness of breast cancer. Government bodies, companies and other organisations embrace the ‘pink wave’ by allowing people to wear pink and post signs in their physical and virtual spaces. We’ve seen large crowds gathered for walks, and at least at the organisations I’ve worked at, breast cancer talks have been an annual feature during this month. Many want people to know what to look for and what to do.

The most common sign people have been advised to look out for is a breast lump. Changes in size, shape of appearance of the breast and changes in the nipples are also signs to look out for. The WHO also noted that abnormal body fluid discharges from the nipples should warrant attention. What I also learned this year is that there is no specific factor that contributes to breast cancer. Increasing age, obesity, and the use of harmful substances such as alcohol may be contributing factors. Genetics are also a factor. The WHO also noted that “inherited high penetrance gene mutations greatly increase breast cancer risk, the most dominant being mutations in the genes BRCA1, BRCA2 and PALB-2.” And it was noted that women found to have mutations in these major genes may consider risk reduction strategies such as surgical removal of both breasts.

This information might be easily accessed through a quick Google search, but what I think is interesting is that some of the breast cancer survivors I spoke to this month said they were taking stock of their health and able to recognise that they were grappling with breast cancer, because of the increased awareness they had about the ailment. One survivor told me that she had a mammogram once every year for at least a decade and didn’t show any of these signs for a long time. She did that because she knew she was getting older and people should have checked regularly. Another woman I interviewed for the News Room said her daughter felt a lump in her breast, and without even thinking twice or second guessing what that might be, they immediately opted to get her (the woman who found the lump) tested.

That’s a positive sign and shows that we shouldn’t let up talking about breast cancer and sharing stories and information. This may be just another space in the newspaper talking about breast cancer, but many more women out there still need this information. I hope that the awareness activities being organised yearly help more people get help as soon as possible.

If you would like to discuss this column, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com