Breast cancer a leading killer of Tongan women [1]
Tuesday, October 1, 2013 - 18:15. Updated on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 - 18:20.
Dr 'Ana 'Akau'ola
Breast cancer remains the leading cancer among women in Tonga, where four have died this year due to a disease that is treatable if caught early, Dr 'Ana 'Akau'ola said today.
Launching 'Pink October' for public awareness on October 1, she encouraged women to come forward with their symptoms when they appear.
Dr ‘Akau’ola was speaking on this year's theme ‘Early detection early treatment – Talk to me', at the function attended by HRH Princess Pilolevu Tuita, the Patron of the Tonga Breast Cancer Society Inc. and its President Hon Frederica Tuita-Filipe, at the Black Pearl Suites in Sopu.
She emphasised that breast cancer is treatable if caught early enough and that it will not go away without proper treatment. “We have women living as long as 20-30 years after treatment and, of course, there are few that despite our best efforts cannot be saved because of the aggressiveness of the cancer they have,” she said.
“It is now our duty to not only encourage women to come forward with their symptoms when they appear but also to receive the recommended treatment when they present early.”
Dr ‘Akau’ola said breast cancer remained the number one cancer amongst women in Tonga, similar to that seen in developed countries such as the United States, Australia and New Zealand ( with the excepting of skin cancer).
Tonga's Ministry of Health figures showed 53 cancer patients were registered from January to August this year. “Of this, 34 are women and 19 men with the majority of those women with cancer have breast cancer, which is about 13 followed closely by endometrial cancer. Four lives have been lost due to breast cancer from January to date this year,” she said.
Tonga does not have breast cancer screening such as mammography yet, she said. “it is important that as women in Tonga we must continue to do our self-breast examination and if we feel any changes to the textures of our breast seek help as fast as can be done.”
Majority of those diagnosed with breast cancer get treatment in Tonga, which is surgery. Some get to be sent for chemo or radiotherapy or both in Australia while a few do not need to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy because the type of breast cancer that they get is not aggressive and had not spread to the lymphnodes when they had their surgery.
There were a few patients that once diagnosed disappeared from the system until they presented a few years later when it was too late to do anything anymore because they chose to go for Tongan medicine, she said.
Early detection
"We must eat healthy, exercise, stop smoking and drinking alcohol to minimize the chance of getting breast cancer."
“Having worked for the Health Ministry for over 20-years and as a private practitioner after hours for 12-years, I have noticed changes in people’s attitudes towards breast lumps and other conditions affecting the breast, more recently people are forthcoming and they present early their lumps or pain of breasts or whatever symptoms they have,” she said, a change attributed to the breast cancer awareness campaigns.
Awareness
Polotu Paunga-Fakafanua the Vice-President of the Breast Cancer Society said the lifesaving message in this year's theme is to raise public awareness on early detection.
Events include a cycle in the capital a supported by Pasikala Nuku’alofa on October 5. A pink lunch will be hosted on October 12 at the Scenic Hotel at Fua’amotu, a pink church service on October 20 with the popular pink walk on Saturday October 26, she said.
The Tonga Breast Cancer Society Inc. was formed in 2007, and annually the society has marked Pink October.