Chennai: In a first-of-its-kind, the Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital in the city has got a ‘one-stop breast clinic’ for screening and diagnosing breast cancer in women. State-of-the-art equipment have been imported from other countries for diagnosis and treatment.
KMC Hospital Dean, Dr P Vasanthamani, told News Today, “The amenity serves the need of all breast-related ailments and will be inaugurated by the end of this month.”
“The facility also has a 3D mammogram with the latest specification, which was launched in 2017, and KMC becomes the second hospital to have the facility in entire southeast Asia, set up at the cost of Rs 3.02 crore,” she explains.
Preliminary ultrasonogram, elastography, tomosynthesis and 3D digital mammogram are a few of the instruments that the clinic possesses.
Explaining about the kind of treatment, she says, “For women under 40, ultrasonogram screening is performed and they are checked for lesions. If detected, digital mammogram test is done. For patients aged above 40, straightaway 3D digital mammogram is recommended as the malignancy rate is higher and incidence of breast cancer is generally more.”
“With advanced technology, a microcalcification measuring even as small as 0.5mm can be detected. Post this, the biopsy procedure reveals if the calcification is a pre-cancerous or a non-cancerous lesion,” she said.
Since the wound is removed, chances of tumour occurrence in the future is less. As it is diagnosed and removed during the early stage, the need to do radical mastectomy is not required, reiterates the dean.
A few of the screening procedures that the centre offers are plain digital mammogram, including plain and contrast digital mammogram and total mammogram.
Amid growing concerns of breast cancer incidence, the dean opines that the message spread through awareness campaigns has reached women folk and people belonging to several strata and they are willing to get their breasts screened.
KNOW THE NUMBERS
Since June, several women benefited from the facility.
116 women screened with biopsy proven to be malignant tumour
30 women screened with biopsy proven to be benign tumour
Images clicked by our lensman A R Jayakumar