Chennai: Nearly three in four women said in a city-based survey they had never been screened for breast cancer, according to a preliminary study from the IIT, Madras.The IIT team, working with AIIMS-Delhi, released the survey, which was conducted as a prelude to the ICMR-supported project to predict breast cancer spread to armpit lymph nodes from ultrasound images. “We did an online survey to know what keeps women from coming forward for screening,” said Pradeeba Sridar, an assistant professor in the department of medical sciences and technology at IIT-M.Of 102 respondents, with a median age of 38, 75 had never been screened, while 27 had been screened at least once. The results were released to raise awareness during ‘Pink October’ — Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed worldwide. Of the 75 unscreened women, 45 cited a lack of symptoms. Awareness of symptoms was also uneven. While 72.5% recognised a lump or thickening, only 45.1% recognised skin redness or texture changes, and 37.3% recognised peeling or scaling of the nipple or breast skin. Nearly one in four recognised none of the six listed symptoms. “Many women, including those with PG degrees, rely on symptoms to decide whether to get screened,” Sridar said. “That means we lose the chance to prevent disease.”Breast cancer was the most common cancer among women in Tamil Nadu in 2023, making up about three in 10 new cases, state cancer registry data show. Its crude incidence rate was 35.6 per lakh women, more than twice that of cervical cancer, at 15.7. The registry recorded 49,225 new cancers among women that year, up nearly 15% from 42,852 in 2019.Doctors say early diagnosis and treatment improve outcomes. City-based senior consultant radiologist Dr Bagyam Raghavan, former president of the Breast Imaging Society of India, had worked on this survey. She said screening is meant for women who look and feel healthy, not just for those who have symptoms.Three-quarters of the respondents preferred a female health care provider. “Services have to be affordable, with women doctors and technicians available where women want them, along with privacy, dignity and comfort,” Raghavan said. “In countries such as the US, insurance covers preventive screening,” she added. The team suggested that insurers and employers include age and risk-appropriate screening with minimal out-of-pocket costs. “Catching cancer earlier can reduce the burden of treatment and make healthcare spending go further,” Raghavan said.Women with a family history of breast cancer had higher odds of being screened, as did older women. The researchers stressed these are associations, not proof of cause. The survey was a small sample, so we need a larger sample to represent all women in Chennai, the authors said. “But this survey is evidence to show there are gaps. Innovation can help us detect cancer. Awareness, access and supportive policies can help us detect it earlier,” Raghavan said.
