Kolkata: With October being the breast cancer awareness month, various organisations in the city and some hospitals have been organising programmes to highlight the importance of breast cancer awareness, education and research.
A worldwide annual campaign involving thousands of organisations and people is conducted every year during this month. Various hospitals both private and state-run ones organise camps for early detection and treatment of the patients.
A private hospital in Howrah commemorated World Breast Cancer Awareness Month by introducing 'Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation Treatment (APBI) via Interstitial Brachytherapy in Breast Cancer' for the first time in the Eastern India. APBI treatment is newer, localised alternative that delivers the effective radiation does directly to the
tissue at risk. This targeted therapy reduces treatment time and may limit adverse side effects, particularly those involving the heart and lungs.
One of the ways to give APBI is via Interstitial Brachytherapy catheters implanted at the time of surgery. When breast cancer is detected early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are available, there is a good chance of it being cured.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), there are about 1.38 million new cases and 4,58,000 deaths from breast cancer each year.
Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, both in the developed and developing countries. In low and middle-income countries, the incidence rate has risen steadily in the last few years due to increase in life expectancy, increase urbanisation and adoption of western lifestyles.