PINK RIBBON DAY SUCCESSFUL

A campaign focusing on the prevention of breast cancer was held on 11. October in the Vsetin.

Pink Ribbon Day, a campaign focusing on the prevention of breast cancer, was held on 11 October in the Vsetin region. Sunny weather graced the entire event, which was organized by Kayaku Safety Systems Europe a.s. in cooperation with the non-profit organization ZO ONKO-DUHA Vsetin. In total, roughly three thousand residents of Vsetin and surrounding areas were asked to voluntarily participate in the event. Aside from the informative disease awareness leaflets, participants were given a pink scarf to remind women of the necessity of regular self-examinations, which can be done at home as an alternative to an examination in a mammographic centre.

IT IS WORTH IT!

The video post about the campaign placed on the company’s Facebook page, attained over 250 shares; 40 people were selected to receive a pink scarf as an expression of gratitude for sharing this video.

Several institutions including the Secondary Medical School, Masaryk Public Library Vsetin and the Vsetin Hospital, participated in this event.

Vsetin Town Hall was not left out. One of Vsetin’s chateaus was lit up in pink and the Regional TV broadcasted a post in which MUDr. Petr Rohlík, a surgeon, spoke about the issue. He emphasized the vital importance of breast cancer prevention. “On a yearly basis, about six thousand new cases are diagnoses in the Czech Republic. Each woman must be diligent in breast care and do self-examinations. It is sufficient to do it once a month. They should feel all areas, including the central part, using three fingers moving in a circular motion. Of course, the underarm area mustn’t be overlooked, where the nodes are located,” stated Dr. Rohlík, who performs breast surgeries. “If a woman can feel a lump by touch, it means that the lump is at least fifteen millimetres in size, which is not an ideal situation. In response to this, a preventive program for breast examinations in mammographic centres has been established in the Czech Republic. The aim is to diagnose tumours when they are still indiscernible by hand; when they are less than one centimetre in diameter,” the surgeon explained.

In the case that a tumour is found, it is necessary to take a tissue sample in order to find out whether it is malignant or benign. “An interview with the committee, who decide on the type of surgery most suitable for the woman, follows. Surgeries are performed both on breasts and nodes. If the tumour is removed in time and the woman undergoes successful oncological treatments, the woman can re-join everyday life in complete health. The fact, that someone has been diagnosed with breast cancer does not mean that she suffer or die as a result,” added Dr. Rohlík. If the lump is small, surgical techniques that allow for the breast to remain intact are preferred today. “Actually, only a part of the breast, usually a quadrant, is removed, however, it is also possible to remove an even smaller part of the breast. The most important thing is that the edges are healthy. The same process is conducted on the nodes where we find the first sentinel node and, if it is negative, there is no need to remove other nodes,” he commented further, adding that approximately seventy women undergo breast surgeries in Vsetin on a yearly basis.

According to the Chairwoman of ZO ONKO-DUHA Vsetin, Mrs. Marie Novosadová, the local awareness of this event is ever increasing. “We want to continue with this prevention event in the years to come, as there is still a large group of people who believe that the threat does not concern them and never will. Nevertheless, the statistics show things differently – the volume of oncological diseases is growing, however the mortality rate connected with this disease is declining due to the fact, that, in addition to other things, more people are doing self-exams and undergo medical examinations in time; and that is the main thing we want people to learn,” stressed Mrs. Novosadová.