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EXCLUSIVE: Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021: How low awareness impacts the diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Expert tells you how the associated taboos and low awareness are impacting the diagnosis of breast cancer.
This won’t happen to me. How many of us have been guilty of this thought process, this self-denial? I know I have. We most often defer our annual check-up, especially the dreaded mammogram and make up a hundred reasons for delaying something this basic and essential.
Emcure conducted a survey of 1000 working women, aged between 25 - 55 years in 7 different cities to understand the social stigmas and taboos faced by working women. It was found that about 67 percent of the women feel that it is a big taboo to utter the word “cancer” in the society. Only one-third of the women feel that society is open to discuss these topics.
About 63 percent of women don’t talk about health conditions due to the social stigma. They feel their daughter’s marriage prospects will get impacted if they talk about their condition. This taboo, this fear, this societal bias holds so many women back from seeking the support and comfort that friends and support groups can provide.
Need for awareness
The biggest need for awareness is around the irrational myths on this condition. Many still believe this only happens to older women, many others aren’t aware that this is to a considerable extent genetic (10 percent cases) and those with a family history absolutely must get check-ups more often than others. Surveys have shown that women feel all lumps will be malignant and even things like deodorants can cause this! Education is needed around all this.
Breast cancer, a condition that accounts for 15 percent of all cancers in women, is the most spoken about cancer and yet taboos, and mind blocks exist.
Recovering from cancer
No health condition is easy to deal with. It’s painful, expensive and has a massive psychological impact. Breast cancer fortunately has the largest survival rate if detected early, 10-year survival rates are 75 percent if detected in stage 1.
But it’s a long and painful journey that tests every ounce of resolve, strength and resilience in your mind and body. Not everyone can afford the treatment and so many die without it. Average cost of treatment is between 5 lakhs and 20 lakhs and not all insurance covers all aspects of this treatment.
What more needs to be done?
The first and foremost step is awareness and education and pushing women to get their annual check-ups and mammograms. Digitisation can help in this awareness and investing in start-ups that make this space of awareness and detection easier is also needed. India spends 1.6 percent of its GDP on healthcare vs double digit by developed countries. The government is now taking steps to increase it to 2.5 percent, which is a welcome step. There is a need to work on war footing in this area with subsidies and support extended to cover a very expensive treatment and other needs. If a woman gets this cancer, it is anyway a lonely and long painful journey for her but what we can ensure is that it is detected early and she gets the requisite financial and emotional support that she deserves in this fight!
About the author: Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals
