Native Hawaiian, Filipino and Pacific Island women are at a higher risk than most for getting, and dying from, breast cancer.
Native Hawaiian women have the highest incidence and mortality rates for breast cancer in the state, and Filipino women have the second highest rate for breast cancer in Hawaii, according to the American Cancer Society East Hawaii Unit.
The breast examination and mammography event, No Ka Wahine, which is funded by Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Hawaii Affiliate, will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Oct. 17 at Hui Malama Ola Na `Oiwi, 45 Mohouli Street, Hilo. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call 969-9220.
Cecily Nago, with the American Cancer Society East Hawaii Unit, said this is a rare opportunity for women 35-years-old and older to get mammograms free of charge.
“The No Ka Wahine event helps Hui Malama temporarily remove some of the barriers that commonly prevent women from getting their mammograms – one of them being the cost,” Nago said. “Another is transportation, which Hui Malama will be providing for those women who don’t have a way into town. Follow-up assistance will also be offered through their Cancer Patient Navigation services.”
Nago said there are many reasons why women are unable to meet the standard health care screening guidelines. Money, time, transportation and even culture can get in the way.
“As women we tend to take care of everyone else’s needs before our own, even to the detriment of our own health,” Nago said. “A time investment of a few hours a year to see a physician and get our annual screenings is not much to ask. If we don’t take care of ourselves who will be there to take care of your family? It’s an investment we make in ourselves for an enhanced quality of life.”
Nago said the poor economy has resulted in a lowered rate of mammography and doctor’s appointments in general. She said it’s up to individuals to take charge and be responsible for their own health.
“People are putting off wellness checks because of loss of health insurance and jobs, wage reduction and the increase in the amount of co-payments,” Nago said, adding women who don’t have insurance or who are underinsured on the Big Island should register for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control and Early Detection Program at Bay Clinic.
Nago encourages all women to do a self-exam monthly, but said a better screening guideline for women over age 40 or for those who are considered high risk is mammography.
“The size of a tumor that is found by mammography at the earliest stages are so tiny, that it cannot be felt through human touch,” Nago said. “Early breast cancer is usually, but not always, painless. This means that there might not be any symptoms present. At this stage of breast cancer growth, the screening mammogram can detect the changes before symptoms appear.”
If a lump is found in the breast, the next steps call for a look though the woman’s medical history, a physical exam and breast imaging, such as mammography. Then, a biopsy is needed for a suspicious finding, and it could be that the lump proves benign.
“If cancer is found, other imaging and blood tests are needed,” Nago said. “Exactly which tests are needed depend on the type of breast cancer, and where and if it has spread.”
But lumps aren’t the only things women should be on the lookout for.
“Lumps are not the only signs of cancer, and not all lumps are cancer. Fibrocyctic changes are benign changes in the breast tissue that occur in about half of all women in their lifetime, and usually happens just before a period is about to begin,” Nago said. “Only a doctor can make that determination of cancer through further testing and screening.”
Nago said there are signs to look for. They include: a lump or thickening of tissue anywhere in the breast; skin dimpling or puckering of the breast; a nipple that is pushed in (inverted) and has not always been that way; discharge from the nipples that comes out by itself and is not clear in color, staining of clothes or sheets; or any change in the shape, texture (raised, thickened skin for example) or color of the skin.
Dr. Scott Grosskreutz, with the Woman’s Imaging Center, said 40,000 U.S. women die each year from breast cancer. He said a recent study shows that 75 percent of the breast cancer deaths occurred in women who had not been screened.
“Women undergoing routine mammography are much less likely to die from breast cancer than unscreened women,” Grosskreutz said, adding low dose full field digital mammography with state of the art equipment is available at the Women’s Imaging Center. The Woman’s Imaging Center in Hilo was the first mammography center in Hawaii to be recognized as a Breast Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.
“The digital equipment is very fast, shortening the exam time and has a lower radiation dose. This equipment is very accurate, particularly for women with dense breasts,” Grosskreutz said. He said comfort pads are available, and the center’s female staff work hard to provide excellent care and make women feel comfortable.
Source: Big Island Weekly
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