One in 28 SA women affected by breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in South Africa, affecting 1 in 28 women.
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2020/10/breastcancer_39004-768x576-1-768x470.jpg)
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in South Africa, affecting 1 in 28 women. In urban communities, the incidence is as high as 1 in 8.
This is according to National Health Laboratory statistics. Early screening and detection improves women’s chances of survival and reduces the need for aggressive and invasive treatment.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Breast Imaging Society of South Africa (BISSA) is urging women to regularly self-examine and have an annual mammogram from the age of 40.
Read: Be part of Breast Cancer Awareness discussion
Regular screening is more likely to find breast cancers when they are small and still limited to the breast area.
This is important for successful treatment and survival since the size and extent of the spread are the most crucial in predicting the outcome of a breast cancer diagnosis.
“Mammography, performed by radiologists, is the foundation of early detection – regular mammograms can often help find breast cancer at an early stage when treatment is most likely to be successful,” Smilg said.
As with all cancer screening, recommendations for breast cancer screening rely on a combination of factors involving evidence about the risk of the condition, the benefits and harms of screening, and the cost.
“Several other breast imaging technologies, including tomosynthesis, C-view imaging and contrast mammography, have brought a new dimension to the fight against breast cancer. Digital tomosynthesis allows multiple levels of breast tissue to be interrogated and it is now possible to create a 2D mammogram from these tomosynthesis slices.”
In women with a significant family history of breast cancer or special circumstances, mammography can also be followed by ultrasound and/or breast MRI in both screening and symptomatic examinations.
Smilg dispelled a number of myths surrounding mammography.
“There is simply no scientific evidence to support the idea that the negligible doses of radiation used in modern mammography can cause breast cancer or represent any danger to the body, including the thyroid gland.”
She said women were often persuaded by this irrational fear of radiation risk to use alternative imaging techniques such as thermography, use of light emitting devices or systems that feel masses.
“There is no evidence that these methods have any value in the screening and detection of breast cancer when compared with mammography. They are often operated by personnel with no medical training and no training in conventional breast imaging and may in fact cause more harm by missing breast cancers, leading to delayed diagnosis and limited treatment options,” she said.
The RSSA and BISSA also agreed with the view of international organisations that claim over-diagnosis of breast cancer are “vastly inflated due to key methodological flaws in many studies”.
Of the 10 per cent of women who are referred for further examination following an inconclusive mammogram, most simply received additional mammographic views or an ultrasound for clarification.
Only one to two per cent of women were required to undergo a needle biopsy because of a screening mammogram.
Read: #Covid-19: Sunflower Fund needs stem cell donors to save lives of blood cancer patients
“The short- term anxiety that could come from an inconclusive test result simply doesn’t outweigh the many lives saved each year by mammography screening.
Have a story?
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Thelma Koorts (editor) brakpanherald@caxton.co.za
or Stacy Slatter (news editor) stacys@caxton.co.za
or Miné Fourie (journalist) minev@caxton.co.za
Remember to visit the Brakpan Herald on the following social media platforms:
Follow us: