Early Detection the Best Protection

Early detection is the best protection. That’s one of Valerie Pennick’s key messages as she speaks about breast health and breast cancer around the country.

Valerie is a qualified radiation therapist who has worked for 30 years in oncology in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States.

Now she’s helping women throughout New Zealand to be aware of any changes in their breasts and to know what to do if they notice something.

“A lot of women think all lumps are cancerous yet nine out of ten aren’t,” she says. “So we tell people if you feel a lump, don’t be anxious and do nothing about it. You need to go to the doctor and get it checked out.”

Valerie is one of two national breast health educators with The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. Between them they cover the country, delivering free public seminars, catching women at lunch time or in the evenings.

In community halls, sports clubs and workplaces they cover topics like risk factors, signs and symptoms, lifestyle choices, myths and truths about breast cancer, mammograms and how to be ‘breast aware’.

Myth busters

Valerie and her colleague come up against a lot of myths about breast cancer. “A lot of women say they feel too well to have breast cancer when they’re diagnosed. It’s not like heart or lung disease that have symptoms,” she says.

"That's why we really emphasise the need for mammograms. They are the gold standard. They can pick up a breast cancer as small as 4mm. It’s the best thing to have as far as early detection goes."

Women in the 45-69 year age group qualify for free screening mammograms every two years from BreastScreen Aotearoa.

That said, she warns that mammograms are not perfect. She encourages women to carry out regular breast checks themselves and to go straight to their doctor if anything changes.

“We emphasise to women that if your mammogram comes back clear, you should still be breast aware in the intervening two years”. she says.

During her radiation therapy career Valerie has seen many women with breast cancer treated successfully because the cancer was diagnosed early.

Just recently, at the end of a presentation in Opotoki, 12 women decided they would make a block booking to have a mammogram with BreastScreen Aotearoa. That’s proof for Valerie that women are taking action.

However, challenges remain. These include reaching more Māori, Pacific and Asian women.

To find out more visit http://www.nzbcf.org.nz