source: iloubnan.info

BEIRUT | iloubnan.info - September 27, 2012, 15h38

Assessments of the National breast cancer awareness campaigns have shown that throughout a decade of highlighting the importance of early detection, the use of mammogram increased substantially reaching its highest.

The results stem from the national survey and the assessment study conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and Hoffmann-La Roche since 2002 to evaluate the outreach and the effectiveness of the nationwide breast cancer awareness campaign as well as the characteristics of women attending to it.

“Many women in Lebanon are aware now more than ever that taking part in this national campaign helps save their lives as first time participation rates have been dropping to a record of 55%”, said the Minister of Public Health, HE Ali Hassan Khalil. “Yet there is still a whole lot to do. The survey results as well as the assessment study have shown that outside Greater Beirut, specifically in the Bekaa, South and Akkar, throughout the past years, no major improvements have been shown in the level of participation,” he added.

As shown by the assessment study, 35% of women heard about the campaign through television, 23% through their friends and 17% through their physician. Furthermore, physicians play a significant role in promoting screening as 85% of those who did not get a mammography, in all ages, would have got it if their doctor had told them to do so.

“Tremendous efforts and numerous campaign objectives have been achieved during the last 10 editions of the national breast cancer awareness campaigns” said Abed Al Rahman Sabra, Country Manager of Hoffmann-La Roche. ”The findings from these studies assert that national efforts will continue in order to erase false taboos associated with screening and early detection of breast cancer as well as to enhance coverage across the different segments of the population” added Sabra.

According to the 2007 National Cancer Registry, breast cancer constitutes 40.3% of all cancer cases among women and 20.7% of all cancer cases in Lebanon.* Nearly 40% of breast cancer cases in Lebanon are diagnosed among women under the age of 50. Patients who are diagnosed through screening by mammogram during early stage of breast cancer and not presenting with lesions have a percentage of survival or cure of more than 90%.