In India, particularly in cities, the health issue that is growing at an alarming rate is breast cancer. It is reported that one out of 28 women in India is likely to develop breast cancer due to severe urbanization; concerning statistics show that breast cancer rates are much worse among urban women than rural Indian women. More children among rural women explain their lower rate of breast cancer. The blog “Breast Cancer in Urban India: Why And How Early Detection Saves Lives” explains that lifestyle changes wherein women get married later and have fewer children lead to an increased likelihood of an increase in breast cancer detection rates.
When a woman develops breast cancer, she is advised to seek help. Despite this belief, many women find out they have breast cancer even when it has reached an advanced stage, and in such cases, the efforts to manage the disease become strenuous. Initiatives are started to create awareness among women regarding breast cancer disease and what are the preventive measures that a woman can take for herself. What is quite noticeable is that urban women, particularly in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, have a relatively higher rate of breast cancer because they are not well informed, among other reasons.
Understanding Breast Cancer in India
The facts that unfolded from the Indian Council of Medical Research in India showed that breast cancer was the most common disease among women since it was responsible for 28.2% of total deaths arising from cancer among women in India. This suggests that a substantial number of women have to deal with this dire medical condition. The incidence of breast cancer is significantly greater in urban women as compared to rural women. This is exemplified by the fact that in Delhi, 41 women out of every 100 thousand women are diagnosed with a breast cancer history, and the cases are lower in rural areas.
The Indian Breast Cancer Foundation states that it is estimated that in every 28 Indian women, one woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her life cycle; this number is even more significant for women in metropolitan cities at one in 22 women. Things are even worse in India, where several women end up suffering from stage 4 cancer and later looking for treatment. To save more lives, women’s health must be understood by emphasizing the importance of regular examinations for the tumor to be discovered at an early date.
Current Statistics in India
Breast cancer is among the serious concerns of the women population in India. The lifetime chance of developing breast cancer is 1 in 28. This risk is further higher among urban women, of which one in every 22 may fall prey to the disease, as opposed to rural women, of which one in every 60 is at risk. The disease can be pretty fatal, with 12.7 female mortality per 100,000, and this indicates how deadly it is.
Sadly, most women get to know that they have breast cancer at a very late stage. Unfortunately, over 60% of the individuals are diagnosed with stage III or IV disease, which is challenging to treat and has a low five-year survival rate. It is recommended that women have their health checked since early detection is crucial in increasing the survival rate.
Factors Contributing to Rising Incidence
More women in urban India are grappling with the problem of breast cancer as a result of the following reasons:
- Adaptation in Lifestyle: Rapid changes in cities tend to alter individuals’ lifestyles. This may include a change in diet, increased stress levels, or a change in physical activity routine. These factors could amplify the risk of breast cancer.
- Inherited Genes: Genetic history poses an increased threat for breast cancer in women; that is, if the female has a family history of breast cancer, then there are higher chances of her possessing the ailment. This tells us that at least one of the reasons for the problem is family traits passed on from mom and/or dad.
- Late Visit Diagnosis: A considerable number of women wait till their breasts develop some pressing issues, like swelling, before contacting health professionals. A lack of awareness, such as knowledge of breast check-ups or the symptoms of cancer, often leads to timing issues when scheduling appointments with doctors.
Educating women about the need for and significance of regular check-ups will enable timely contact with health professionals, increasing the chance of a cure.
The Importance of Early Detection
Like other forms of cancer, breast cancer requires aggressive and well-timed action. This is evident in the disease’s statistics, where the early-stage detection rate ranges between an estimated 90-95% five-year survival rate while the stage IV detection rate is only 10%. Therefore, the need for proper and timely early-stage intervention is critical, and that would, in turn, result in higher survival rates.
So, how can one achieve early-stage detection:
- Self-Breast Examination (SBE): Women aged 30 and older are advised to start self-examination regularly to check for any unusual lumps and trend detection purposes.
- Clinical Breast Examination (CBE): Sometimes massaging the chest and breast isn’t possible. A women’s doctor can perform this gentle breast and chest massage on a regular women’s check-up routine to sense any apparent anomalies.
- Mammography: Women over forty years old with specific risk factors should be checked for this type of cancer once per year. The chance is high that early detection will lead to early breast cancer treatment; this may well turn out to be very advantageous in the future. This will also eliminate the risk of stage IV due to the advanced detection of this disease.
Barriers to Early Detection
For the sake of saving lives, early detection of diseases like breast cancer must be encouraged. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that a lot of women struggle even to get breast cancer screening conducted. Some of them are described below.
- Education: Numerous women lack the knowledge and understanding of risk factors and symptoms surrounding breast cancer. It can be challenging for such women to understand the significance of early screening. Women can be targeted through educational campaigns on breast health and early screenings.
- Healthcare Coverage: Numerous women, whether residing in the city or rural areas, find it difficult to seek medical attention even if they do have access to healthcare facilities. This could be due to a lack of money or even transportation. Such factors create difficulty in availing aid.
- Cultural Issues: In some places, women do not want to discuss breast health or feel uncomfortable doing so. Since women do not want to ask for help regarding breast cancer, such a scenario can lead to the development of embarrassment or fear. A comfortable climate needs to be created to discuss such pressing matters.
Strategies for Improvement
In light of making it possible for a large number of women to detect breast cancer in its early stages and remain fit, we can utilize the following few innovations.
- Awareness: Such social issues can be tackled by launching amusing campaigns for the general population to raise their knowledge about breasts. Such campaigns should focus on educating women, for instance, on self-checking for lumps and why it is important to get checked regularly.
- Outreach Services: Local health centers can organize mobile clinics to cover those parts of the population that may not have routine healthcare services. These clinics can offer free breast screenings and educate women on breast health so that they do not face hurdles in accessing the services.
- Staff Education: Educational sessions for young doctors and nurses must be organized so that these young healthcare professionals will appreciate the importance of the breast to women’s health. Proper education will enable them to instruct women on regular inspections, thus preserving life.
These breast cancer intervention strategies can be employed together and have an impact.
Conclusion
Breast cancer is becoming more prevalent among women in urban Indian areas. Women are increasingly diagnosed with breast cancer in late stages, which escalates the difficulty in treatment and reduces the survival chances. That can be changed if more women are informed of the importance of the early detection and reporting of the disease.
To this effect, apart from promoting general awareness of breast health, more women should be encouraged to undertake breast examinations frequently so they can discuss the topic extensively.
Consequently, all the stakeholders will have to exhaust every effort to contain the challenges posed by breast cancer on the increasing number of women in the various cities. This will involve carrying out education campaigns about breast cancer, increasing access to healthcare services, and engaging the communities. By doing so, we can enable women to own their health and also improve the situation of women diagnosed with breast cancer.