EkoUNIMED sensitises public on multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer management

By Omolola Dede Adeyanju

The Eko University of Medicine and Health Sciences (EkoUNIMED) in a bid to fight breast cancer through sensitization of the public has held its first lecture series for 2024 themed, ‘Multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer management.’ The event was held at the Lagos state school of nursing auditorium yesterday.

According to the Chairman, medical education committee and Dean FBCS, EkoUNIMED, Professor Wale Ajala, parts of the reasons for breast cancer development are; not having many children, people marrying late and their menstruation being short spanned, the use of contraceptives, exposure to radiology or radiation, as well as the things people eat, to name a few.

He affirmed that breast cancer is multi-disciplinary in the sense that it involves not only the patient but his/her family, friends, doctors and everyone has something to do about it. He said, “We are sensitising the public, creating awareness so that people can learn to examine themselves. That’s why we are not limiting the lecture to our students alone but everybody. This is our CSR to the public, educating them on breast cancer.”

Professor Ajala noted that one of the recent treatments for cancer is the personalised treatment which only the patient is expected to carry out. “There are also open therapy and several other therapies,” he added.

According to the Consultant Pathologist, Federal Medical Center, Ebute Meta, Dr O. Iyapo, the lecture series is a platform for knowledge. He confirmed the fact that women are the most affected gender for breast cancer and expressed that men also contract breast cancer. He stated that it is more chronic for men when diagnosed.

Dr Iyapo explained that Nigerians who have migrated to other countries to practice nursing or as doctors do not go for further training before they practice, “The expertise of Nigerian doctors have never been questioned in any case, if they are not good, they won’t be sought after. Aside from India and Pakistan, Nigeria has the highest experts of medical professionals abroad.”

“Formally, the conventional practice for breast cancer treatment was that you either remove the breasts, give chemotherapy, but now we have improved diagnosis with improved testing variables to stratify patients and give them the best treatment modality.

“There are some patients that, based on the class of cancer they have they may not need chemotherapy, it may just be endocrine therapy, you can also understand what is needed for a patient rather than waste money or embark on treatment that would not be effective based on the stratification of the patient.”

Dr Iyapo explained that breast cancer is not a death sentence and unlike those days, now, there is no type of breast cancer that does not have one form of treatment or the other.

“However, this depends on the level, Prevention is better than cure. To prevent and post prevention is key so people should have good health seeking behavior because apart from the fact that prevention is better than cure, prevention is way cheaper than cure.

“Do not wait until you see a lump in your breast before you go for a medical check up. Self-examination is something every woman should be able to do and periodically go to the hospital for clinical breast examination. When you see anything different in your breast, seek medical attention rather than waiting till when it is advanced.

“I implore all women to have good health seeking behavior, seek medical attention whenever you observe something different or unusual in your breast because it is best to discover cancer at it early stage, at that stage you can just remove the lump or the swelling and the entire breast remains safe rather than wait till when it is advanced, at such time it would have reached the lungs or liver and destroyed a lot of things in the organs,” he submitted.

A 400 level medical student and participant at the lecture series Ayobajo Oluwaferanmi expressed her take home from the event, saying, “The lecture was really educative. We learnt about self examination and how to overcome fear as a patient, we also learnt about several types of breast cancer. My take home is to seek attention at the earliest stage of breast cancer. Overall the lecture was very informative.”