Cancer association donates biopsy needles

The Cancer Association of Namibia has donated core biopsy needles worth N$100 000 to the Windhoek Central Hospital’s Breast Clinic to aid in the fight against breast cancer.

Each biopsy needle costs around N$1 000 and a biopsy is required to proceed with the treatment plan once a referral is made, either directly from a clinical breast examination or through a mammogram screening, said CAN CEO Rolf Hansen during the handover in Windhoek yesterday.

‘’CAN believes that by taking these preventive steps, we can collectively influence lives,’’ he said.

Throughout the rest of the year, he said, similar projects would be implemented through collaborative work between CAN and ministry of health departments, or by private physicians eager to volunteer their skills.

Breast cancer, according to Hansen, is not only a global killer in Sub-Saharan Africa or Namibia, but it is also the world’s first killer among women.

He stated that 3 945 women in Namibia had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in the last 10 years.

‘’If found early, breast cancer is treatable. As a result, the CAN advises women to become 365 breasts aware, which simply means getting to know their breasts and speaking to your doctor or contacting CAN if you notice anything unusual,’’ he said.

Hansen further stated that in order to combat breast cancer in Namibia, CAN collaborated with the health ministry to establish breast clinics as key nodes throughout the country, with the main clinic in Windhoek serving as the largest referral centre.

‘’We treat all referrals from our mobile clinics at our main clinic in Windhoek. However, because this type of cancer is treatable and curable, we encourage Namibian women to undertake self-examinations and seek medical attention as soon as possible, as the prospects of survival are very poor once detected late,’’ he said.

This, he stated, adds to the stigma associated with not only breast cancer but cancer in general.

“With this donation, we hope to enable and empower the medical teams at Windhoek Central Hospital to save lives. We also believe that by forming these strategic alliances, we will be able to save more lives and keep families together,’’ he added.