ABOUT 60 mastectomies were performed at the largest referral centre, the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) in Suva, from January to September this year.
CWM Hospital consultant/general surgeon Dr Basharat Munshi said the high number of mastectomies conducted at CWMH indicated an increasing number of breast cancer cases in the country.
“Just for CWMH as for last year we’ve done about 50-60 mastectomies,” he said.
“For this year the number is similar (60-70) that’s from January to September alone, but it will increase since the year hasn’t ended yet.”
Dr Munshi said breast cancer survivors and victims should treat the deadly disease in an aggressive manner.
When asked about men who have breast cancer he said it was very rare, adding that at least one per cent of men in the country had breast cancer.
“It’s an aggressive disease and can be a killer so even if you’re a male I would like to advise you to be vigilant if you feel a lump please get it checked because in women if we detect it early we can treat it,” Dr Munshi said.
He said more awareness was needed where he was encouraging the public to go for early detection if they felt a lump on their breast.
“Breast cancer is a disease that we can cure and treat,” Dr Munshi said.
“My only message is please present yourself early and make sure you visit the hospital because we’ll be able to cure it.”
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer.
