- Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial on marking breast cancer awareness month
Globally, breast cancer is one of the leading cancers in women. As of 2020, 24% of cancers in women were breast cancer. In Sri Lanka, that figure is 26%.
This October, to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to further their vision of women’s empowerment, the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial, will be hosting a breast cancer awareness panel discussion on 13 October. Speaking to Brunch Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial Member Rtn. Priyanwada Chadraratne shared that the panel discussion is the first step in a larger women’s empowerment programme envisioned by the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial.
“Our women’s empowerment programme has identified several areas for women’s empowerment,” Chandraratne said: “These include health, hygiene, comfort, abuse, rape and harassment, and financial empowerment. Through this inaugural panel discussion on breast cancer awareness, the Rotary Club Colombo Centennial hopes to educate and inspire women, and men, on the risks, signs, and treatment of breast cancer.”
The panel discussion also looks to educate men, because, as Chandraratne put it: “Men are a significant part of women’s lives. Whether as partners, husbands, fathers, or sons, they have a responsibility to promote the safety of the women in their lives. We want to create awareness both ways and educate men as well to promote breast cancer awareness.”
The panel discussion will see the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial consulting with an eminent panel of professionals on preventing and treating breast cancer; Family Health Bureau Well Woman Programme Focal Point and Consultant Community Physician Dr. Padmaka Silva, Colombo North Teaching Hospital (Ragama) University Surgical Unit Senior Lecturer and Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon Dr. Nalinda Munasinghe, Kotelawala Defence University Senior Lecturer, Radiotherapist, and Senior Consultant Oncologist Dr. Jayantha Balawardana, and WHO Country Office (Sri Lanka) National Professional Officer Dr. Nalika Gunawardena.
The panel discussion will address the causes of breast cancer, spotting the signs of breast cancer, how to get medical help from Sri Lanka’s network of free clinics, how to treat breast cancer, and how to adjust to life as a survivor of breast cancer.
Brunch reached out to one of the panellists, Kotelawala Defence University Senior Lecturer, Radiotherapist, and Senior Consultant Oncologist Dr. Jayantha Balawardana, for his perspective on the initiative and breast cancer awareness in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial’s breast cancer awareness panel discussion, Dr. Balawardana said that he was excited to be taking part in the panel. “Lots of patients are affected by breast cancer and people need to know the basic facts about it. It’s a good opportunity to educate the public in simple terms and educate them at the grassroots level without going into deep, technical details.”
One question Dr. Balawardana anticipates being raised at the panel discussion as to why the incidences of cancer are increasing, noting that incidences of cancer, not just breast cancer, but cancer in general, have been noticeably increasing over the last decade or so.
The reasons for this increased incidence in cancer, are varied, Dr. Balawardana said, explaining that, broadly, some key reasons for this increased incidence include; an increase in population which by default sees a greater number of illnesses, causative factors like ecological factors and other risk factors that contribute to the development of cancers, increased awareness that leads to a higher rate of diagnosis (and treatment and cure), and advances in healthcare and less infectious disease that sees people living longer which leads to more incidences of non-communicable diseases like cancer, kidney diseases, and heart disease.
While increased awareness on cancer has seen a lot of improvement over the years, Dr. Balwardana shared there is still a lot more to be done, which is why awareness initiatives like the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial’s breast cancer awareness panel discussion are important, because they allow people to learn about the potential risk and signs of breast cancer and how to seek treatment.
Speaking on other ways in which awareness can be spearheaded, Dr. Balawardana said that one of the biggest challenges to building awareness is education at the grassroots level combined with more robust national screening programmes to drive early detection. Noting that the Government is doing a lot to drive awareness, Dr. Balawardana shared that knowledge on major non-communicable diseases like cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease should be included in school curriculum, even if it is not very deep, so that basic elements of the messages of what these diseases are, how to look for symptoms, and how to get treatment can take root from a young age.
Importantly, Dr. Balawardana urged people to always go and see a doctor if they have any symptoms where cancer could be a possible cause, especially with women who suspect breast cancer. “Any lump or change in the breast must be considered a cancer until proven otherwise,” Dr. Balwardana concluded.
The Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial’s Breast Cancer Awareness Panel Discussion takes place on Wednesday 13 October at 6.45 p.m. via Zoom and Facebook Live. For more details please visit the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial Facebook page.
