Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 5, 1 May 1998 — Early detection [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Early detection

147 of Hawai cis women are taken from their families eaeh year because of breast cancer. The Hawai'i Department of Heakh wants to help put a stop to this.

By Jayson Harper THIS YEAR, more than 600 of Hawai'i's grandmothers, wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and nieces will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, approximately 147 of them will die. Breast cancer is the most eommon cancer to strike women in Hawai'i, and one out of every eight will develop it in her lifetime. No one really knows yet what causes breast cancer or why it attacks otherwise healthy women. Doctors and researchers have observed that certain ethnic groups are more at risk than others and also have lower survival rates after diagnosis. Hawaiian women form one of these high risk groups. According to Bridget Kaumehe'iwa, an educator at the Hawai'i Department of Health, "Access to quality heahh care may be a key factor in the high rates of breast cancer within the Hawaiian community. It's imperative that all women have access to breast cancer screenings so that if the cancer is present in the body, it ean be diagnosed and treated before it spreads. Early detection is the key to beating breast cancer." Women who are diagnosed when the cancer is in its formative stages have a 93 percent survival rate, eompared with women diagnosed after the cancer has spread whose survival rate ean drop as low as 25 percent. To promote early detection of breast cancer the Hawai'i Department of Health has launched a statewide breast and cervical cancer screening program, Malama i ke Ola oNā Wāhine. The goal of the program is to reduce mortality rates through free screenings for medically under-served women throughout the state. These include mammograms, elinieal examinations and Pap tests. If an abnormality is found, fol!ow-up tests are available free of charge. Social workers and the eommunity health centers aid patients in follow-up care and treatment. Breast cancer is the cancer detected most frequently in women in Hawai'i. The malignancy strikes 69 of

every 100,000 Filipino women annually, 109 of every 100,000 Caucasian women and 123 of every 100,000 Hawaiian women. The number of Hawaiian women

who die from it is significantly higher than that of other groups. The difference in survival rates ean be attributed to such factors as access to screening services, health care, use of treatment methods or biologically determined responses to the disease. Though doctors and researchers cannot explain why breast cancer is more fatal to Hawaiian women, they have found that annual screening of women over the age of 40 reduces their risk of dying from the disease. Breast cancer may be present even in apparently healthy women and screenings ean provide some peaee of mind. This program is available on all islands to all women who qualify. Provided below is information on eligibility criteria for free screenings and on screening sites or eall l-800-4CANCER. ■

Breast cancer is the cancer detected most frequently in women in Hawai'i. The malignancy strikes 69 of every 100,000 Filipino women annually, 109 of every 100,000 Caucasian women and 123 of every 100,000 Hawaiian women. — Hawai'i Department of Health"

Early screenings are essential in beating breast cancer.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HAWAI'I DEPARTMENT OF HEALĪH