Have you come across anyone wearing pink ribbons lately, or participated in walks, runs, or other events that take pink as a theme? The likelihood is that such events are related to breast-cancer awareness month, which is helping to raise awareness of a disease that affects women in Egypt and worldwide. According to the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt (BCFE), out of 100 women diagnosed as suffering from cancer, 35 will have breast cancer, or somewhere in the range of 35 to 40 per cent. According to statistics from the National Programme for Women's Health, an affiliate of the Ministry of Health, in Egypt the majority of breast-cancer patients are women below the age of 50. No one expects to suffer from breast cancer in her twenties or thirties, which is one of the reasons that the disease can go undiagnosed. A woman might suspect that something is wrong, but she might refuse to entertain the idea that she could be suffering from breast cancer at such a young age. Like all cancers, breast cancer is made up of “abnormal cells that do not follow the usual rules of the body,” according to Ahmed Tarek, head of the oncology unit at Alexandria University. Women should be aware of the risk factors that can lead to breast cancer if they are to have the best chances of detecting the disease early and successfully treating it. These factors include women who started menstruating early (before the age of 12), or went through the menopause later (after the age of 55). Women who have not had children, or who had their first child after the age of 30, can also have a slightly higher breast-cancer risk overall. Having many pregnancies or becoming pregnant at a young age appears to reduce the risk. The use of oral contraceptives leads to a slightly greater risk of breast cancer as does the use of hormone therapy, used for many years to help relieve the symptoms of menopause and prevent osteoporosis (thinning of the bones). Tarek said that women should have regular medical check-ups and lead a healthy life, including regular physical exercise, as ways of avoiding breast cancer. In Egypt, late-stage diagnosis of the disease means that two-thirds of breast-cancer patients have mastectomies (surgical removal of the breast tissue), with just one-third having breast-conserving surgery, where only a part of the breast is removed to treat the cancer. A woman who has a family history of breast cancer or whose close relatives have this disease is at a higher risk of breast cancer. “It is commonly acknowledged that from five to 10 per cent of breast-cancer cases are linked to hereditary factors, which means that other factors constitute more than 90 per cent of risk factors,” Tarek said. October's pink campaign is linked to raising awareness of the disease, with events organised by health organisations helping to alert women to the risk in both rural and urban areas. The campaign has been discussed in focus groups and on social media. “We are trying to reach women from different social classes, including by launching medical mammogram check-ups in both rich and poorer areas,” Ghada Moustafa, media director of the BCFE, told the Al-Ahram Weekly. “We have held events with companies like HSBC, Barclays, Baker Hughes and Vodafone, and have aimed to reach poorer women in areas such as Mokattam and Sayeda Zeinab as well as their richer peers,” she added. The question of what women should do to avoid getting breast cancer is one that many women ask, especially during the pink ribbon month. “What people don't recognise here in Egypt is that emotional support can be a major factor in preventing breast cancer, and it always enhances the quality of life a woman leads,” Moustafa said. It is for this reason that the BCFE, in cooperation with Zumba dance instructors, has been holding a “Zumbathon” Pink Party to encourage women to look after their health and raise awareness of breast cancer. “The Pink Party was a concept that my co-worker Emeline Lavender and I started back in 2010 as a way of helping Egyptian women,” said Jessy Larsen, an Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) group exercise instructor. Zumba Fitness uses the Pink Party theme to raise support for the Susan Komen Foundation worldwide, a foundation that helps women with breast cancer. “The event has become a huge success here in Egypt. All the proceeds from the Pink Party help Egyptian women from all levels of society gain access to mammograms and breast exams,” Larsen said. “During our ‘Zumba marathons' medical experts teach attendees how to carry out check-ups in order to find any abnormalities in their breasts. Early detection of any problems increases a woman's chance of surviving the disease,” she added. But how can such dance events help in the prevention of cancer? According to Larsen, prevention of cancer depends on many factors, but dancing helps tremendously to improve mental and physical well-being. “Clinical reports suggest that dance therapy helps in developing body image, improving self-esteem, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, decreasing isolation, chronic pain, and body tension, and increasing communication skills and feelings of well-being,” she said. Nothing is as good as taking care of one's body when it comes to raising awareness of breast cancer. Surgeons, breast-cancer survivors, fitness instructors, doctors, and others might disagree on one point or another, but when it comes to breast cancer there are basic rules that every woman should bear in mind: stay away from obesity, eat nutritious food, stay away from bad habits, exercise, and, most importantly, go for regular check-ups. Men also have a role to play in support of their wives, mothers, daughters and sisters who may be affected by breast cancer. “One of the most common difficulties we encounter during examinations and our caravan medical check-ups, especially in rural areas, is that husbands ban their wives from having medical examinations,” said Moustafa. “It is for this reason that we have produced materials specially directed at men, notably husbands, telling them how to support their wives emotionally, mentally and physically.” A month a year may not be enough to really raise awareness of breast cancer, but sharing knowledge is the best thing one can do. So wear a pink ribbon this month to show your support. You could help change someone's life for the better.
