A Royal Hobart Hospital surgeon is urging Tasmanian women to make regular breast screening a priority, reminding them that early detection can push survival rates as high as 99%.
Dr Gausihi Sivarajah, a general surgeon specialising in breast surgery, said screening remains the most effective way to detect cancer before any symptoms appear.
“Regular screening is the most effective way for early detection of breast cancer because it’s identifying the disease before the symptoms actually appear,” she said.
“It increases the chance of survival and also enables women to access a wider range of treatment options which are less invasive and more effective.”
Dr Sivarajah treats patients with everything from benign breast conditions to cancer and also serves as clinical director at BreastScreen Tasmania.
She said the statistics speak for themselves – the overall five-year survival rate for breast cancer in Australia sits at around 91%.
“But when we look at those who are diagnosed early or stage one, that five-year survival rate rises to 99%,” she said.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women and the second leading cause of cancer-related death, after lung cancer.
Dr Sivarajah’s passion for the field stems partly from personal experience. Several close friends have faced breast cancer diagnoses.
“… Seeing what they went through reinforced in me how important patient-centred care is,” she said.
She said modern treatment options have come a long way, giving women more choices and better outcomes.
“Being able to offer those expanded surgical options for women, especially those facing breast cancer, made the field a lot more compelling for me,” she said.
Diagnosis usually involves a physical examination, mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy.
Treatment varies for each person and can include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or immunotherapy.
“I’m really committed to promoting breast health awareness,” Dr Sivarajah said. “I really want to strive to improve outcomes for individuals.”
