Breast cancer on the rise in Brunei

FROM September 2007 to August 2008, the number of women suffering from breast cancer and undergoing counselling in Brunei Darussalam has risen from 290 to 333.

This statistic was shared by the chairperson of the Breast Cancer Support Group Matron Hjh Jaliha Hj Momin who stated that among the number of people suffering from Breast Cancer, the biggest number in Brunei came from the Malay women with 200 sufferers.

This was mentioned in a talk given to 42 nurses from the Ministry of Health who also experienced a short briefing on proper Breast Self Examining (BSE) as well as a talk by local breast cancer survivor, Masjuwita Hj Abdul Hamid, a mother of two sons.

The matron stated that the reason for the higher number of Malays sufferers is largely due to poor diet.

She added that there could be other reasons for the higher percentage and called for more research to be conducted to investigate these causes.

"Statistic alone do not provide an answer for the higher numbers and we invite educational instituitions to delve into this to find a cause so there can be prevention," she said.

Masjuwita who survived angio-sarcoma, a rare form of breast cancer two-and-a-half years ago, said that the reason for the higher number was diet as well as culture.

She stated that the lack of awareness prevention is low due to the fact that the society suffers a phenomenon she referred to as the Ostrich Effect.

"In this case this means that if you don't talk about it, you pretend it doesn't exist,"she said.

She said that when a person suffers from cancer, they'd always feel like an outsider.

"Nobody wants to be a stigma.When this happens, you hide away until it reaches the later stages, where it is eventually found out," she said.

Additional statistics include Chinese with 58 sufferers, foreigners with 18 and other indigenious groups which add up to 14 sufferers.

This talk is listed as one of the activities from Breast Cancer Awareness Month which falls on the October 5 to 31.

Among the activities that are included for this month is a dialogue session with women and teenagers informing them of breast cancer and roadshows and demonstrations that give out information on the causes of breast cancer as well as ways of self-examination.

The matron will also be announcing and giving out pink ribbons that represent the commitment and respect to fight breast cancer and a red ribbon for those who are in the midst of fighting breast cancer.

The event was organised by the Breast Cancer Support Group at the Health Care Training Centre in Subok. (SHR1)

The Brunei Times