Breast screening success

Early detection means a better survival rate, and that is just what the Barbados Cancer Society’s breast screening programme has been seeing, thanks to improved awareness and earlier testing.
Chairperson of the Barbados Breast Screening Programme, Dr Shirley Jhagroo, said that when cancers were diagnosed the lab reports also showed that the legions were in the early stages, compared to those found in the past.
Speaking Saturday morning at the start of a motorcade to launch a week of activities to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Week and the tenth anniversary celebrations of the Barbados Breast Screening Programme, Jhagroo said the message of regular self-exams had been taking root.
“We have been encouraging everybody to examine their breasts and understand how to do it. We find that women are getting better at it and they are coming forward when they see things that are irregular, which I think is very important . . . .Our message is getting through,” Jhagroo said.
She added that based on statistics for the ten years since the start of the Breast Screening Programme, the Cancer Society had seen women who had been survivors for five years and more and that was promising.
However, the number of new cases was increasing, the doctor said, and there was also a growing trend where women in the under-35 age group were being diagnosed with breast cancer.
To cater to this, the Breast Screening Programme was seeking to acquire a new piece of equipment to complement the mammography machine. In addition, a programme is to be launched in schools to teach young women how to examine their breasts.
“If we knew the cause of breast cancer we could prevent it, but until then we have to hope that we diagnose them early,” Jhagroo said.
The motorcade, which started at the Garrison Savannah and moved through Bridgetown and back to the Garrison, was held to distribute pamphlets about the week of activities and increase awareness about the Breast Screening Programme.
The special feature of the week of activities will be a public lecture on Thursday by radiologist Dr Gregory Eckel, who will speak on What’s New In Early Detection.
Barbadians are asked to Go Pink on Friday by purchasing and wearing pink T-shirts to assist the Breast Screening Programme’s fund-raising efforts while the Champions In Pink Walk & Extravaganza will be held on Saturday. (LK)