GUWAHATI, July 13 - The Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), in association with the Directorate of Health Services, Government of Assam, has taken up a project for capacity development, Continued Medical Education (CME), public education, and screening of breast cancer in four districts of the State.
The districts are Morigaon, Nalbari, Barpeta and Goalpara. The project will involve Health Care Professional Training (HCPT) of Medical & Health Officers and training of ASHA workers in these four districts. The pilot project is supported by Innoplexus.
The project, launched at a CME programme held at a city hotel last evening, was jointly inaugurated by Dr Amal Chandra Kataki, Director of BBCI, and Dr R Bhuyan, Director of Health Services, Government of Assam. The CME was attended by oncologists and healthcare stakeholders from the city and its adjoining districts.
The speakers for the CME programme were Dr A Malhotra, surgical oncologists from Kolkata Medical College and Dr Viks Jagtap, radiation oncologist from BBCI. Dr Malhotra spoke on the surgical and medical management of breast cancer, and Dr Jagtap deliberated on applications of radiotherapy in breast cancer.
The BBCI has all the state-of-the-art radiotherapy facilities, including stereotactic body radiotherapy, IMRT and IGRT.
There was an interactive session between oncologists present and healthcare stakeholders. Dr Amal Chandra Kataki complimented Innoplexus for taking up the pilot project to create public awareness and early detection of one of the commonest cancers in females of the country.
In India, around 1.5 lakh new breast cancer cases are detected every year. In Assam, the incidence of breast cancer is the highest in Kamrup (Metro), with an estimated 28 new cases for 1,00,000 population in a year. The incidence in the districts of Cachar and Dibrugarh is 13 and 14 new cases respectively for 1,00,000 population in a year.
�The common modifiable risk factors for breast cancers are promoting breast feeding, avoiding alcohol, regular exercise and weight reduction. Early detection of breast cancer leads to complete cure in about 80 per cent of cases. Moreover, in early cases, the breast of the woman can be preserved by breast conservation surgery. Nowadays, use of targeted therapies has drastically improved the outcome in breast cancer patients,� Dr Kataki said.
