Home cancer screenings will be carried out by the Fiji Cancer Society for those reluctant or unable to travel to health centres or hospitals for cancer screenings.

Fiji Cancer Society chief executive officer Belinda Chan said most women relied on herbal medicine or religious faith to assist them through the journey of fighting cancer.

“There’s nothing wrong with taking herbal medicine or relying on your faith but the progress of the cancer growth needs to be monitored; we’ve also come across women who have immense family obligations or are in denial,” Ms Chand said.

“If women are reluctant to come in for testing, then they can give us a call and we will pay a home visit to them, talk with them and if possible take a nurse with us to talk to them,” she said.

“We just want them to come in for testing because young mothers and even grandmothers are coming in late for testing.”

Ms Chan said unlike prostate cancer, cervical and breast cancer late stages were not determined by age.

“I know that with cervical cancer some women that come in are 35-years-old  because it doesn’t really depend on age, it’s more to do with how aggressive the cancer is and how young women respond to it,” she said.

“According to the oncology unit at CWM Hospital there are a lot of women that come in during the last stages, one day this week we referred two cases to the CWM and both were late stage cases.”

She said the Fiji Cancer Society worked closely with oncology units at CWM as well as Lautoka and Labasa hospitals for free chemotherapy treatment for adults and children.

“Once you are diagnosed with cancer, your chemotherapy is conducted free of charge, we provide transport to take you home after your chemotherapy and supply whatever little things you do not have,” she said.

Ms Chan said discussions were also under way for prostate cancer awareness programmes to be carried out in November.

“We do not discriminate other types of cancers, so whatever assistance we provide it’s for everyone,” she said.

“The Golden Oldies are our prostate cancer partners and they will be holding their balls and beards tournament on November 25 and we will include that in the programme for November,” she said.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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