Recently the Saudi Arabian General Electric Company announced the launch of an initiative to improve cancer detection and care as a part of its global innovation program THE CHALLENGE. By reaching out to universities as well as government and private organizations, GE’s challenge will increase access to breast cancer screening, with a goal of screening 10,000 women in the first year. Next to lung cancer, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide, and according to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Saudi Arabia.
In the year 2008, an estimated 458,503 deaths worldwide were a direct result of this heart wrenching disease. Although cancer is a complex disease, many organizations worldwide are searching for its cure, and even more group efforts are being promoted to detect and prevent breast cancer while in its early stages. Hopefully as more contributions are made toward discovering its cure, we will eventually find a way to eliminate this disease in the not-too-distant future.
Understanding More about Breast Cancer
Signs and Symptoms:
The most effective method of surviving breast cancer is by catching and treating cancer while in its early stages. Signs and symptoms include a change in how the breast or nipples feel (nipple tenderness or a lump near the breast or under arm area) as well as how the breast or nipple looks (changes in size or shape such as scaly, red, or swollen regions).
Detecting Breast Cancer:
In order to catch breast cancer before it spreads, self-exams and mammograms should be conducted regularly, even as early as age 20. Mammograms should be scheduled every 3 years and eventually increase to 1 every year as a woman approaches 50.
Men can have breast cancer too:
Although breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women, men, too, are at risk for breast cancer. This percentage is relatively small, but men should also be aware of the risk and give regular breast self-exams.
To learn more about breast cancer facts, you can visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation, INC and find out how you can help fight breast cancer, one mammogram at a time.