Breast cancer forum ends with a warning note

A medical symposium on breast cancer ended on Wednesday with a warning note for women to take check thoroughly for symptoms of the disease when they reach the age of 40 years. The two-day Saudi-Australian symposium on current practices and future directions with regard to breast cancer was inaugurated by King Saud University (KSU) Rector Dr. Abdullah Al-Othman. The event, which was preceded by a three-day exhibition on breast cancer, was organized by the KSU in cooperation with the University of Sydney in Australia. Making his address at the conclusion of the symposium on Wednesday, symposium director Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saif said: “My only message to the ladies is to have a timely check for breast cancer if you feel some abnormality in your body.” He added that early detection can cure the disease, while negligence on the part of the patient could prove fatal. Stressing the importance of timely medical checks, he advised women to take a mammogram on reaching 40 years of age and subsequent yearly checks for any symptoms of the disease. The exhibition attracted a crowd of more than 800 visitors and another 700 delegates attended the two-day symposium. Discussions at the symposium covered medical oncology, radiological sciences, rehabilitation, patient safety and pharmacology. He said the team of doctors from the two universities also discussed ways and means of cooperating with each other in exchanging experiences and transfer of technology and training. He also said plans are under way to conduct research on breast cancer in certain areas. The term “breast cancer” refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. Usually breast cancer either begins in the cells of the lobules, which are the milk-producing glands, or the ducts, the passages that drain milk from the lobules to the nipple. Less commonly, breast cancer can begin in the stromal tissues, which include the fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast. Initially, breast cancer may not cause any symptoms. A lump may be too small for one to feel or to cause any unusual and noticeable changes. Often, an abnormal area turns up on a screening mammogram (x-ray of the breast), which leads to further testing. In some cases, however, the first sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast that you or your doctor can feel. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer. But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to have anything unusual checked by your doctor. According to the American Cancer Society, any of the following unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer: swelling of all or part of the breast, skin irritation or dimpling, breast pain, nipple pain or the nipple turning inward, redness, scaliness, thickening of the nipple or breast skin, a nipple discharge other than breast milk a lump in the underarm area. These changes also can be signs of less serious conditions that are not cancerous, such as an infection or a cyst. It’s important to get any breast changes checked out promptly by a doctor.