Did you know that breast cancer is the most common women’s cancer in India¹?

This year, in 2020, about a third (28.8%) of all women’s cancers in India is estimated to be breast cancer, and majority (71%) of them are expected to be found in late stages².

Late-stage diagnosis makes treatment difficult and reduces survival chances. Whereas early diagnosis of breast cancer dramatically improves the chances of complete cure and disease-free survival with 93% or higher survival rates in the first five years³.

Late diagnosis mainly happens because most women act only when they feel a lump or some other symptom in their breasts. By this time, the cancer has been quietly growing for two to five years⁴.

How is that possible?

Just like many cancers, breast cancer begins as one bad cell, which then divides into two bad cells, which divide again and become four bad cells, and so on. Breast cancer has to divide 30 times before it can be felt by hand⁴. With most breast cancers, each division takes one to two months, so by the time you can feel the lump or another symptom, the cancer is already two to five years old and far more dangerous.

The only way to avoid late diagnosis and the helplessness linked with it is by taking charge of your health and getting yourself regularly screened. If you are eligible for breast screening either by age (40 years and above), or due to high-risk factors such as family history (in which case even if you are younger than 40 years), talk to your Doctor today about an annual Mammography plan – A simple ritual that can save your life!

1. Rangarajan B, Shet T, Wadasadawala T, et al. Breast cancer: An overview of published Indian data. South Asian J Cancer. 2016;5(3):86-92. doi:10.4103/2278-330X.187561
2. https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc7392737 Mathur P, Sathishkumar K, Chaturvedi M, Das P, Sudarshan KL, Santhappan S, Nallasamy V, John A, Narasimhan S, Roselind FS; ICMR-NCDIR-NCRP Investigator Group. Cancer Statistics, 2020: Report From National Cancer Registry Programme, India. JCO Glob Oncol. 2020 Jul;6:1063-1075. doi: 10.1200/GO.20.00122. PMID: 32673076; PMCID: PMC7392737.
3. https://www.carolmilgardbreastcenter.org/early-detection
4. https://oregon.providence.org/forms-and-information/a/ask-an-expert-breast-cancer-growth-rate/