A centre to diagnose and address all breast-related concerns under one roof
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
Every year in October, conversations on breast cancer awareness turn the spotlight repeatedly on two key points —early detection and prevention. Is it enough? “No, we have to keep the conversation going on early detection of breast cancer,” says Dr Praveen Raj, managing director of Gem Hospital, after launching the Gem Breast Centre.The centre, an advanced facility, aims to reach out to women to come forward for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of not just breast cancer but any breast-related issues. It functions under Gem Cancer Centre of the hospital. “We launched the cancer care centre just three months ago. The incidence of breast cancer cases are so high that we felt a dedicated department would encourage more women to come forward and evaluate themselves with mammogram,” explains Praveen adding that breast cancer awareness is crucial for women, especially those without symptoms, because many early-stage cancers have no symptoms and detection relies entirely on screening and self-awareness. “As gynaecologists are not trained to assess such issues, in most cases women are not sure where to go to get themselves checked on breast health. The breast department diagnoses and addresses all breast-related concerns under one roof. In less than a month, we carried out several screenings and mammograms to spread the word on awareness.”
