NAGHAM JAJAN

QAMISHLO – Breast cancer awareness campaigns top the global scene with the beginning of “Pink Month,” as medical efforts intensify to encourage women to undergo early screening, as it is the fundamental pillar for raising the recovery rate and protecting women’s health.

In recent years, breast cancer has become one of the most prominent diseases affecting women, and early diagnosis plays a crucial role in protecting women's health and reducing the risks associated with the disease. Therefore, awareness campaigns, increasing women's knowledge of symptoms and risk factors, and encouraging them to undergo health examinations at the appropriate time are fundamental steps in the field of prevention.

The medical coordinator at the Kurdish Red Crescent, Zahra Ahmed, stressed the extreme importance of early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, calling on women to consult a doctor immediately upon noticing any changes, due to its crucial role in raising recovery rates and expanding available treatment options.

She explained that the level of women's awareness of the disease and ways to prevent it has witnessed remarkable growth recently thanks to the intensification of educational seminars and the distribution of awareness brochures, noting the increasing turnout of women for periodic specialized examinations such as mammogram and ultrasound.

"Attention During Breast Examination"

Zahra Ahmed shed light on the early signs of breast cancer that women should monitor. "There are several signs that women should pay attention to during breast examination; among the most prominent of these indicators are the presence of a lump in the breast, changes in the texture of the skin so that it becomes like orange peel, discharge from the nipple and its retraction inward. Therefore, women should consult a doctor if they notice such symptoms."

Regarding the preventive steps that women should take to protect their health and the timing of medical examinations, she noted that "after the end of the menstrual cycle, a woman can perform a self-examination of the breast, and if she notices any sign or change in it, she must consult a doctor; where he first performs an ultrasound examination (echo), and requests a mammogram if necessary."

Zahra Ahmed called on all women to visit Red Crescent centers to undergo ultrasound and mammogram examinations, explaining that simultaneously with "Pink Month" for breast cancer awareness, guiding booklets have been prepared and distributed and mobile clinics have been deployed in Qamishli to provide educational seminars. She expressed her hope that every woman would take the initiative to undergo these preventive examinations during this month.