BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Teno prods women to undergo regular examination

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday asked men to remind their wives to have a regular breast examination in view of the growing cases of breast cancer on the island.

In signing October as breast cancer awareness month, Tenorio urged all women in the CNMI who are at risk to discuss the breast cancer screening program with their health care providers.

“I urge all citizens to encourage the women they love to do so,” said the governor.

Doctors recommend that women who are 40 years and above take regular mammography, yearly breast examination by a physician, and monthly breast self-examination.

Based on recent statistics, one of every nine women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In the CNMI, the five-year (1992-1997) Mean Adjusted Death Rate of Breast Cancer among Chamorros is 76.8 per 100,000 population. Thus, Chamorro women are three times more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. In 1998, some 60 patients were diagnosed to have different types of cancer, a great number of them have become survivors too.

But the figures do not exactly reflect the real situation because the statistics include women from other Pacific island nations.

In his meeting with nurses from the Commonwealth Health Center and women leaders, the governor was asked to look into the possibility of chemo radiation therapy unit for the hospital since it is costing the CNMI government a huge amount of money to send patients on medical referral for cervical and breast cancer treatment.

Meanwhile, the governor also signed a proclamation declaring October as domestic and family violence awareness month as he noted the increasing cases of domestic abuse on the island.

From January to August of this year alone, some 400 domestic abuse cases have been recorded by the Family Violence Task Force. While many cases have been prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office, a big number remain unreported.

The local chief executive said domestic violence has caused family disorientation that often results in child abuse, juvenile delinquencies, children being placed in varying stages of fear, and children who eventually grow to be batterers themselves.

Tenorio asked all government agencies, private businesses and non-profit organizations to implement policies or procedures at their workplace aimed at discouraging domestic and family violence.

“Incidents of violence should be reported whenever detected. Silencing a victim is never a solution to a continuing cycle of violence,” he said.