Mammography — performing a mammogram by X ray — is an effective method for the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, but less than 40 percent of women in the nation have undergone such an examination in the past two years, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday.
“A total of 700,000 Taiwanese women received a mammogram last year, of which about 3,800 had developed breast cancer, which means about one in 180 women on average discover the illness due to the screening exam,” Health Promotion Administration Director-General Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said in a press release about prevention during Breast Cancer Awareness Month — known as “Pink October.”
Chiou urged women aged between 45 and 69 and those between 40 and 44 who have a family history of breast cancer to take advantage of the free biennial mammography program offered by the administration.
Chiou said 83.2 percent of the women in which breast cancer was detected by the mammogram were found to have early-stage breast cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of nearly 90 percent.
“However, it is worrying that only 36 percent of the nation’s women have had the screening test in the past two years,” Chiu said.
One woman who put off taking the test is a 55-year-old surnamed Hung (洪), who is a business manager.
“I was under tremendous pressure at work and I did not eat regularly or do regular exercise... My friends were worried and invited me to have a mammogram with them many times in the past, but I always turned down their offer out of fear that the examination might hurt,” Hung said.
Hung said she eventually arranged for a mammogram after a client of hers told her: “It is worthwhile enduring a few minutes of discomfort in exchange for a lifetime of health.”
The test results showed that Hung had developed stage 1 breast cancer, but with the early diagnosis, she recovered after treatment.
Common risk factors for breast cancer include early menarche, late menopause, childlessness, childbirth after 30 and a lack of breastfeeding, Chiou said, advising women to also avoid smoking and drinking.
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