Adopt regular mammography for early detection of breast cancer

Mammography machine. [iStockphoto]

"I need you to go get this scan from the county referral hospital," I told her after the examination. "It is called a mammogram. We do not have one in this facility." It was the season. I had just seen a male patient with a rare type of breast cancer a week earlier. Diseases come in battalions; we say. For this male, I had had a long conversation about the CT scan with my colleague who has graciously co-authored this piece.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer accounting for one in every eight cancers world-wide. Experts project that the number of new cases per year will increase by 40 per cent by 2040. Irrespective of cancer type or setting, it is important to note that the sole determinant of outcome is the stage at which a cancer patient presents. It is therefore important that as many as possible, if not all, cancers should be picked during their early stage to afford the patients a chance at cure. This is done through screening.