What I learned about breast cancer in I Can Serve Foundation's mall event

October is the month when breast cancer advocates and support groups are most visible. This is probably because this is the time when various breast cancer awareness campaigns and programs around the world are activated and receive generous attention from different media organizations.

 

I attended the I Can Serve Foundation, Inc.'s event at the Festival Supermall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City today, which was made possible in partnership with the Gender and Development Office of the City Government of Muntinlupa and the Office of Cong. G. Biazon and in cooperation with Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Makati Medical City,  St. Luke's Medical Center, and the Philippine Army. During the event, Ms. Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, breast cancer survivor, President and one of the founding members of the I Can Serve Foundation, urged women to stay vigilant all year round. She hopes that whatever the women learned during Breast Cancer Month would help save many more from breast cancer by passing on valuable information about the disease and supporting programs on breast cancer.

Ms. Kara also emphasized that the women are the foundation of every home; they labor to keep the home together and care for the family. Without them, everything will fall apart. It is for that very reason that they should give more regard to their health and take their breast health to heart.

One of the speakers, Dr. Roel Tolentino, immediate former President of the Philippine Society of Oncology, talked about breast cancer signs, symptoms, and myths.

For the benefit of the moms who read this blog, the signs that women should watch out for are:

• Lump in the breast
• Dimpling of the skin of the breast
• Discharge coming out from the nipple when not lactating
• Redness in the skin of the breast
• Orange peel skin / the skin of the breast looks shiny and with large pores
• A non-inverted nipple that starts to go inward
• Breasts that starts to become uneven in shape or size

Remember, any change in your breast that bothers you is enough reason to see a doctor. 

Dr. Tolentino also debunked some rumors on breast cancer such as:

• wearing underwired bras and using deodorants can cause breast cancer - they do not cause cell mutation and have nothing to do with breast cancer
• breast cancer is contagious - breast cancer can be inherited but it is not contagious
• herbal medicines and supplements can cure breast cancer - there hasn't been any herbal concoction proven to kill cancer cells; they can help boost your immune system but they cannot cure cancer
• lump in the breast means breast cancer - some lumps are normal; for your peace of mind, have mammogram screening
• women without family history of cancer will not get breast cancer - all women are at risk of having breast cancer, the chance of it happening is simply higher in women with risk factors like family history of cancer
• women with breast cancer will die of it - breast cancer can be cured especially if found at an early stage
• breast implants cause breast cancer - they don't cause breast cancer but implants may make it harder to detect lumps in the breast, contributing to delayed detection of breast cancer signs and symptoms

Aside from the lecture, I Can Serve Foundation offered free breast screening to hundreds of women from the community of Muntinlupa during the one-day event.