In Nigeria: 50% of women are living with breast cancer – CMD

Dr Jide Owolana, the Chief Medical Director, Living Standard Hospital, Benin, says about 50 per cent of Nigerian women are living with unknown breast cancer.

Jide made this revelation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Benin.

He listed swelling of all or parts of a breast, skin irritation or dimpling, breast or nipple pain, nipple retraction (turning inward), redness, scarliness and thickening of the nipple as the symptoms of breast cancer.

Others are thickening of breast skin and nipple discharge (other than breast milk) also as the symptoms of cancer.

“The most common symptom of breast cancer is a lump or mass in the breast which will be painless and has irregular edges at the early stage,’’ he said.

The chief medical director therefore advised women to always go for monthly check-ups to ensure that early stages of breast cancer could be revealed and cured immediately.

According to him, the first stage of breast cancer was highly treatable.

However, he said it required immediate treatment, typically surgery and often radiation, or a combination of both.