Creating awareness about breast cancer is essential for women to be able to identify, understand, and address the biological and lifestyle factors associated with breast cancer.
"As Minister of Health, I am pleased to recognize and acknowledge the activities that have been organized to date and those still to take place during the latter half of October. The month of October as everybody is aware is being observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"I encourage women to learn about the risk factors for breast cancer, as well as the importance of breast cancer screening. Early detection and thereafter treatment, is the best option for reducing breast cancer deaths among women in the nation," Minister of Public Health Maria Buncamper-Molanus told the Government Information Service (GIS).
Minister Buncamper-Molanus also added that the community also needs to support those who have been diagnosed or affected by breast cancer.
Regular breast self-exams can help women learn what can be considered normal as it pertains to their own bodies and therefore make it easier to notice and find any changes. Remember doing a breast self-exam regularly is not a substitute for regular mammograms.
At present there is no known cause for breast cancer; however there are certain risks factors, which may put individuals at higher, risk of developing breast cancer, e.g. person’s age, genetic factors, personal health history and diet.