BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
RADIOLOGY Department at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) is encouraging women at the age of 35 and above to do testing for breast cancer.
This is if there is any sign of lumps and pain as checking is done for free.
Dr Aaron Orita’imae the Head of the Radiology Department at NRH said any women who wish to check their breasts will seek them so that they can sign a form.
There has been 769 cases of breast cancer from Mammogram examination since 2014 to present and 39 (5%) are now confident as cancer.
Preliminary findings include 47 cases (6%) out of the 769 being highly suspicious requiring further imaging while normal ones are 683 cases (88%).
There are two types of cancers that are now at the top giving great concern and they are breast cancer and cervical cancer.
Dr Lo-Yeh Jonah Lee a Radiologist of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan has been working with the Department of Radiology at the NRH to review and read the mammography examination of women testing from 2014 to 2017.
He was in the country to also teach local Doctors as there is a need according to Dr Aaron.
Dr Lee said that Solomon Islands is one of the luckiest country in the Pacific to have a Mammogram machine.
“Women going through test on the Mammogram machine will help them prevent it at an early stage from such disease,” said Dr Lee.
There is only one Mammogram machine in the country for testing of breast cancer and it is in the NRH Radiology Department.
Dr Orita’imae assured that they will be doing their best for all the hospitals in the country to have a Mammogram machine.
Breast cancer is also said to be caused from food diet.
