Rotary Club of Tiruchi Central in association with Harshamitra Superspeciality Cancer Centre and Research Institute undertook an awareness rally to create awareness on the importance of screening for cancer on the occasion of World Cancer Day 2021.
Office bearers of the Rotary Club of Tiruchi Central along with doctors took part in the campaign, as they distributed pamphlets and provided booklets on the importance of collective action.
The awareness campaign was inaugurated by District Collector S. Sivarasu along with P. K. Rath, President, Rotary Club of Tiruchi Central and S. Lakshmi, Joint Director of Health Services.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Rath said that fresh cases of various kinds of cancer are recorded at his diagnostics centre every day. “Increasing pollution, pesticides in the food we eat, chemicals and smoking habits were causing this increase. Smokeless tobacco is an eyewash,” he said. “While throat and lung cancer is most common among men, cervical and breast cancers are common among women,” he added.
Most cancers are preventable as tests are available for all, G. Govindaraj of Harshamitra Hospitals said. “It is said that cancers such as breast and cervical can be detected at least three to five years early. However, the death rate is significant as people are not aware of the availability of such screenings,” he said.
The doctors recommended that women over the age of 40 must take mammograms and pap smears at least once a year. They also handed out booklets and placed them at prominent places in the city. The book contained instructions of self-examination to check for lumps in the breasts, among other details.