Better prognosis thanks to breast clinics
Up to 620 new cases per year
Many cases of breast cancer, the most common cancer in Namibia, are only diagnosed when they are in stages three or four.
The time between the first suspicion and the start of treatment for women with breast cancer has been shortened from six to 12 months to three to six weeks thanks to the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN)’s regular breast clinics.This means a better prognosis for patients diagnosed with breast cancer, emphasses CAN CEO Rolf Hansen.
He was speaking at the celebration of Medical Imaging Namibia’s Women’s Wellness radiology clinic’s first anniversary. During the event, the clinic presented N$20 000 to CAN and also donated 100 free mammograms to the state health service.
FNB Namibia donated an additional N$10 000.
“The hope is that the state can refer 100 patients to us, when it is overwhelmed and overloaded,” said Dr. Ryan Volker of the Women’s Wellness clinic.
However, Hansen acknowledged that there is cause for concern about the incidence of breast cancer in Namibia, but also stressed that breast cancer is generally treatable. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Namibia with 540 to 620 new cases each year. Many of these are only diagnosed when they are at stage three or four, but with the breast clinic we can change that to patients who are diagnosed with stage one or two breast cancer,” Hansen said.
He encouraged women to do a self-breast exam at home at least once a month and report any changes to a doctor immediately.
“The most important thing is that breast cancer is treatable and curable if we treat it early,” Hansen stressed. – [email protected]