Increased awareness right way to fight cancer in women, say experts

Bhubaneswar: Rise in awareness level and regular screening is the way forward to battle cancer in women, Dr. Chira Ranjan Khadanga, radiation oncologist at SUM Ultimate Medicare (SUMUM) said.

“Areas of key concern are the incidence of cervical cancer and increasing occurrence of breast cancer in women who require regular screening and awareness about the symptoms,” Dr. Khadanga said while addressing a special session on ‘Women’s Health’ at Women’s Business Mela which concluded here on Sunday.

Dr. Khadanga was a member of the three-member team from SUMUM which participated in the panel discussion on the subject at the event organised to create business opportunities for women, exchange entrepreneurial ideas and promote women’s entrepreneurship in Odisha. The other two participants were Dr. Chinmayee Kar, consultant obstetrics and Gynecology and Sushri Sangeeta Jena, senior clinical nutritionist.

Emphasising on the importance of regular cancer screening like PAP Smear test to check for cervical cancer and mammogram for breast cancer once women reached the age of 30 years, Dr. Khadanga said women should not hesitate to take these examinations as most of these tests are painless.

With the focus on women’s health, Dr. Kar said women in their late 40’s and early 50’s should not ignore the symptoms of menopause and should consult their physician as menopause had myriad effects on the female body. She stressed the need for women to take steps to preserve their health and focus on preventive care by scheduling regular visits to the gynecologist.
Jena outlined the unique nutritional requirements of women which evolved with physical and hormonal changes like puberty, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.

Stressing on the importance of antioxidants and micronutrients like calcium, folic acid, iron, zinc, Vitamin C and D in women’s health, she said women needed to have a diet plan based on their vital nutritional needs to avoid health issues in future.