Jehangir hospital has opened a breast cancer clinic here recently. Speaking at the occasion, chief cancer surgeon Dr. C B Koppiker said it would provide comprehensive care and counselling to patients. Among the important features of the clinic is a high-resolution mammogram facility, which can detect very small and early abnormalities, and the option of joint assessment by a group of oncologists, Koppiker said.

According to Koppiker, in recent times, the disease has increasingly appeared in younger women, in the age group of thirty and above, due to changes in lifestyle, late pregnancies and reduced breast-feeding. He stressed on preventive health screening as the most effective method of early detection of breast cancer and further added that early diagnosis meant more treatment options and greater chances of survival.

"Unfortunately, patients often are ignorant about the disease or are too shy to consult a doctor,'' pointed out Dr. Koppiker. He recommended self- examination, starting at the age of 20, followed by periodic mammography after the age of 40.

The clinic would also discuss issues of rehabilitation and moral and financial support to the patients.