Hundreds get free breast cancer testing

The Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) is providing free breast cancer testing and screening for high blood pressure in Kigali.The testing is part of a month-long campaign aimed at encouraging women to regularly test and take preventive measures against breast cancer. The campaign started on September 29.The exercise, dubbed, “Early detection is the best protection,” is taking place at Nakumatt Supermarket at the KCT building, one of the sponsors. It ends tomorrow.Anne Rugege, the executive director of BCIEA, said they got volunteer doctors from King Faisal Hospital who are helping to carry out the tests.“Our aim is to make people aware of breast cancer, in both men and women. Though there are other types of cancers that cannot be treated, breast cancer heals with early treatment,” she said.She added that more free testing could be organised in the future depending on demand.She appealed to men to also go for the tests.“We have so far received about 200 people; it’s better for women to test for breast cancer every month,” Rugege said.About cancers Felestine Mukarukiza, one of the women who were tested yesterday commended the organisers for the free screeningA 2007-2013 Rwanda Biomedical Centre report on cancer epidemiology indicates that 4,615 people were infected with different types of cancers, the most common ones being breast cancer, constituting 15.8 per cent. Cervix uteri stood at 15.6 per cent, while stomach cancer was 9.1 per cent and uterus 5.5 per cent. According to the report, stomach cancer was the most prevalent among men, standing at 11.7 per cent, followed by prostate, at 9.4 per cent.Statistics indicate that more cases of cancer patients were reported at Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK), with 1,768 cases. It was followed by Centre Hospital University Butare (CHUB) which recorded 1,645 cases, while King Faisal Hospital received 1,096 patients.

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Hundreds get free breast cancer testing