Breast and cervical cancer: The Wooaim Group plans a free screening campaign

The two activities organized by the Wooiam group (read who I am, who I am in English), as part of the “Pink October”, a month dedicated to the annual communications campaign (symbolized by the pink ribbon) with the aim of raising women to exposure to breast cancer (the most common form in women) , and funds for the research were collected on October 29 and 30. The conference, which was led by Professor Judith Nsundi Malanda at the Chamber of Commerce, focused on the topic “ Breast and cervical cancer, let’s talk about it.

The so-called “pink” march gathered about a hundred people from Republic Square, the former Lumumba roundabout, to the Wild Coast, passing through the Central Town Hall and the main station. It asked the participants to make a symbolic contribution that enabled them to collect the necessary funds to organize the free screening campaign for breast and cervical cancer. These funds will be used to implement this campaign, the date and location of which have not been determined for various reasons. But it will be done soon.”Wooaim is the president of Wooaim, who created it with two other girls, Grace Leslie Bhalat and Alisha Tessia Mbawshi, said young Sarah Carmel Mavunzela. The latter joined her in leading the fight against cancer, after witnessing its effects on some of their parents and loved ones.

Even if the date and location of the campaign has not yet been decided, the initiative is welcomed by the Pontenegris. It is believed by many to be an effective way of encouraging women to get screened because, as noted, the topic of cancer is still a taboo topic in the Congo. Mary Jane, who is a mother, believes this is due to a fear of illness. “Cancer is so scary that people are afraid to talk about it. You need to be well informed, to be able to detect it or avoid it,” did she say For his part, old Gustave encouraged the test. Many people are ill with cancer but they don’t know it. Many do not want or are afraid to take the test. Some have given reasons for the fees to be paid and others believe they are not at risk. This campaign is an opportunity to check his health and allow those who will be diagnosed with the disease to be cared for.” advised.

Cancer kills millions of people around the world and also wreaks havoc in the Congo. According to Professor Judith Nsundi Malanda, data from the cancer registry of the city of Brazzaville show that in 2020, approximately 2,476 new cases and more than 1,500 deaths were recorded. This clearly demonstrates the extent of the disease and the need to raise awareness among the population and encourage them to get tested.

During the conference organized by Wooiam, Professor Pr Judith N’sondé Malanda specified that cancer can be cured if treated early, hence the importance of screening. And she explained: Cancer is a serious disease but it can be cured if diagnosed in time. The disease progresses to the first stage^Verse2^e3^e4^e. The security is that the patient reaches 1^Verse or 2^e The stage of benefiting from treatment and follow-up. But more often than not, patients arrive late. It is therefore necessary to have an examination, and it is important to do so in order to be taken care of in a timely manner, so before the disease reaches an advanced stage.. However, many citizens have decried the high costs of cancer treatment. Hemodialysis, for example, requires an amount of CFA 250,000 per session, at a rate of more than one session per month.

This means that many cancer patients actually consider themselves dead and this causes a lot of suffering to them and their loved ones. The state should consider the issue of pricing for cancer treatment. Many people who could be saved die because the treatments are so expensive.Mr. Lambert defended.

All parts of the body can be affected by cancer

Remember that cancer is caused by the transformation of cells that become abnormal and multiply excessively. These disorganized cells eventually form a mass called a malignant tumor. Cancer cells tend to invade nearby tissues and move away from the tumor. According to Professor Judith Nsundi Malanda, there are more cancers. Any organ in the body can be affected by cancer. She indicated the presence of hereditary cancers (colon, breast and eye cancer).

The conference I hosted at the Chamber of Commerce raised awareness of, among others, the risk factors for breast cancer, which also affect men and children (alcohol, tobacco, lack of breastfeeding, pesticides, dietary fats, family history, etc.), possible signs of this cancer (presence of nodules Redness on the breast or armpit, change in breast size, pain, retraction, bloody secretions, eczema, redness or itching at the level of the breast), treatments (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and dialysis) and prevention with physical activity, breastfeeding and others. “When a wife has breast cancer, her husband should be examined because he may have prostate cancer.”Professor Judith Nsundi Malanda advised.

She also indicated risk factors for cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) that is transmitted by skin and mucous membrane contact, often sexually, and progresses to an abnormality that becomes cervical cancer. This AIDS-classified cancer (therefore it is often associated with HIV) is transmitted through early sexual intercourse, tobacco, alcohol and others. It manifests itself after at least twenty years of infection with the virus due to pain during sexual intercourse, vomiting, kidney failure, and bone pain.

Its symptoms include, among others, vaginal bleeding outside the menstrual period, discharge from the genitals, pain in the lower abdomen, and lower back pain. This cancer is preventable because, like liver cancer, there is a vaccine. It can be controlled by vaccinating children. Participants in the conference watched frightening video projections of breast cancer cases in females and males, as well as a video about self-examination of the breasts and armpits to detect the presence of a nodule (a sign of the disease). It should be noted that in addition to the free breast and cervical cancer screening campaign, the Wooiam Association is planning to organize other activities. The organization has a Facebook account through which it regularly raises awareness of cancer.