How a lump in my breast gave me nightmares

The 24-year-old felt the painless lump on her breast when she was 15 years old, naive and unaware of breast cancer cases and their symptoms.

By then, she was in Form Two and did not know the dangers of having a lump in a breast.

"I felt something hard on my breast, I panicked and had mixed emotions that were fuelled by negative thoughts and sleepless nights," she said.

Nonetheless, Duru was frustrated and afraid of letting anyone know of her condition.

"The fear of the worst prevented me from speaking up. I wished the lump could disappear by itself but it did not," she said.

As time went by, the lump kept growing and she could feel the breast gradually become heavier than the right breast.

"I finally got the confidence to explain the situation to the school nurse. My parents were called immediately and I was taken to the hospital for treatment," Duru said.

She was immediately examined and told that she needed immediate surgery.

The doctor told her that the lump was so big that if she had stayed longer, they would have been forced to remove the breast.

"They told me that I needed an instant biopsy so that a specimen of the lump could be examined to determine what kind of lump it was."

"After two days, the major surgery was scheduled and the lump was removed. I thank God that I spoke up in good time and above all, the lump was not cancerous," she adds, amid smiles.

Duru said she recovered gradually over a period of close to one year nevertheless, she went back to school for one and a half months.

"We often hold back issues not knowing that things could be getting worse. I escaped this situation by a whisker, therefore, both men and women should self-examine their breasts regularly and seek medical assistance in case of anything. Do not suffer in silence, it might cost you," she said.

Medical oncologist, Lalit Varadpande, has been educating women about breast self-awareness and general breast health. He also advises them to seek medical attention as soon as they notice any abnormalities.

He added that male breast cancer accounts for up to 6 per cent of all breast cancers in Tanzania and areas of central Africa.

Lalit stated that breast cancer in men appears to share some of the risk factors associated with postmenopausal breast cancer in women.

"Male breast cancer has been diagnosed at a more advanced stage than female breast cancer, due to a lack of awareness that men can develop breast cancer and also due to the absence of routine screening, " Lalit stated.

Breast cancer in men should also be openly discussed, especially with young boys.

The doctor also said that the lumps in the breasts could be benign or malignant.

Benign means that it is of a mild type, harmless and does not threaten health. In this case, it is not cancerous. Malignant is the opposite, meaning that it is harmful, infectious or cancerous.

Lalit said that palpable breast masses are very common in women, and most palpable masses are benign like the one Duru had.

"Approximately 90 per cent or more of palpable breast masses in women in their 20s to early 50s are benign. However, excluding breast cancer through medical examination is a crucial step in the assessment of a breast mass in a woman of any age."

The Ministry of Health has continuously reminded Kenyans to have their breasts checked.

The ministry said that breast cancer contributes to 12.5 per cent of the overall cancer burden.

"Breast cancer accounts for over 3,107 deaths making it the 2nd leading cause of all cancer deaths in the country," the Ministry notes.

"Seven women die every day in Kenya as a result of breast cancer." 

What is being emphasised is early detection which is the most crucial factor that will improve the prognosis after cancer has been diagnosed.

The ministry also mentioned that mammography is the only screening method for breast cancer that has been proven effective and safe, especially for women over 40 years.  

Edited by Mercy Asamba