MEN CALLED UPON TO EMBRACE BREAST CANCER SCREENING

Akujo Ruth Muzuro an assistant nursing officer at the satellite cancer center at ARRH demonstrates how breast cancer manifest. Photo by Godwin Abedican

By Godwin Abedican

Arua City

With the month of October designated for awareness against breast cancer across the world, Men are being called upon to embrace screening for breast cancer given they face more risks compared to the women.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Radio Pacis on Tuesday October 8, 2024, Akujo Ruth Muzuro an assistant nursing officer at the satellite cancer center at Arua Regional Referral Hospital says men do not pay attention to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment yet they are more vulnerable.

“This month being a month for breast cancer awareness, we should know that in various homes people have lumps in their breasts. Breast cancer is more common in women than in men, but it kills more men than women because men have small breast muscles. For women, if one is having any lump in the breast, since her breast is big, it can cure or when she comes to the hospital in time. Hence, a woman’s life can be saved more than a man’s life because due to men having small breast muscles, if anything happens in a man’s breast, by the time the doctors are realizing that there is something in the breast, may be it has already spread to other parts of the body like the lungs or interior. So, any infection in the breast of a woman can be identified and helped on time than a man,” Akujo explained.

Cancer is an abnormal growth of body cells and is named according to the body parts that it affects or where it grows such as the eye, breast, blood, esophagus, bones and uterus and tongue among others.

Breast cancer manifests inform of small lumps or swelling in the breasts during palpating or pressing, dimpling of the breast, change in color of breasts, release of blood instead of milk when pressed among others.

Akujo therefore, calls upon the men to improve on their heath seeking behaviors to enable quick response towards preventing the challenges caused by cancer that sometimes lead to fatalities when discovered in the later stages.

“At least when you feel your breast and find it’s unusual, please come to the hospital. Let us see what is happening with you and we send you for the right investigations in time to see to it that we detect the cancers in your body early and so that the treatment and spread to other parts of the body is prevented on time,” she urged.

Among a number of factors that are said to be leading to the abnormal growth of cancer causing cells include, family history (genetics), irregular uptake of ARVs by persons living positively with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, lifestyle including too much eating of processed food, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, unhealthy diet (low consumption of vegetables), air pollution, exposure to certain viruses, radiation, hormones and infections among others.

Statistics from Arua regional referral hospital on breast cancer indicates that in 2019/2020 there were 22 cases received with 1 death, 2020/2021 40 cases were reported with 3 deaths, 2021/2022 25 cases recorded with no death reported while in 2022/2023 there were 27 cases with 1 death and 2023/2024 a total of 34 cases were reported with 5 fatalities registered.