Breast cancer awareness: Transgenders, women avoid screening, say doctors

Not just women, transgenders too avoid breast cancer screening due to the lack of awareness, as per a report in Indian Express.

Speaking about the same, Chandani, who’s a transgender activist who is working for the cause of Transgenders, said, “Our community has no awareness of any kind of screenings. Despite the fact that we use extra hormones and also under breast implant surgeries, even I have not gone to doctor for any cancer screenings.”

Dr Krithika Murugan, Consultant Surgical Oncologist, HCG Cancer Hospital says, many women on the routine follow up examinations, when advised for a sonomammogram the common response she gets from women is “can’t I skip the mammogram, doctor? And go for an ultrasound instead,” this according to Krithika is more to do with how uncomfortable even the means to diagnosis is for women.

According to the data provided by Kidwai Cancer Hospital in Bengaluru, in Karnataka, it is estimated that annually over 9,800 new cases of breast cancers are diagnosed and 26,000 to 30,000 prevalent cases are there.

“Over the years Bengaluru is showing second highest increase in the country only to next to incidence rates in CHennai Based on this data it is estimated that around 1688 new cases of breast cancers are diagnosed every year and prevalent cases in city alone are around 4558 cases,” added a release from Kidwai.