ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires doctors take women on an interactive tour of the cervix and breast tissue to educate on preventative measures to reduce cancer risks

Record ID: 446579

  • Title: ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires doctors take women on an interactive tour of the cervix and breast tissue to educate on preventative measures to reduce cancer risks
  • Date: 10th August 2011
  • Summary: HOSPITAL PATIENT, ROMINA ALBA, WATCHING INFORMATIVE VIDEO IN EXHIBIT (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HOSPITAL PATIENT, ROMINA ALBA, SAYING: "Hopefully all women know about prevention and this tent can go to other places too and reach the most people possible:" VARIOUS OF EXHIBIT GUIDE EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY TISSUES EXTERIOR OF THE RIBBON
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina, Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Health
  • Reuters ID: LVAEY7ZJE4E5LRFG5C16KCF5R6HS
  • Story Text: Doctors in Buenos Aires are trying a new approach to emphasize the importance of early detection and prevention for breast and gynecologic cancers by taking women on an anatomical tour that puts them inside a cervix and allows them to examine breast tissue from inside a massive inflatable cancer ribbon that replicates the female anatomy from the inside out.
    The exhibit hosted at the gardens of the German Hospital in Buenos Aires is known as LazoGigante or Giant Ribbon in English and is free to the public from Monday (August 8) through Friday (August 12).
    The interactive tour takes place in this massive inflatable cancer ribbon and aims to educate women and make them aware of preventive measures they can take to prevent breast, cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers.
    According to the American Cancer Society, more than half of cancer deaths could be prevented if more emphasis were placed on early detection and healthier lifestyles, including maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise, avoiding tobacco, and getting recommended cancer screening tests.
    That is why doctors here are encouraging woman to make healthier choices and get screenings when they are recommended.
    The German Hospital's oncology chief, Carlos Bas, told Reuters mortality rates for breast cancer increase with age, highlighting the importance of early detection.
    "With a secondary preventative diagnosis, which would be early diagnosis in breast cancer, the mortality rate increases with age, so, between 40 - 45 and 45 - 50 and more than 50-year-old, the risk of mortality goes from 15, 30, 37 and up to 40 percent in most cases," said Bas.
    The Giant Ribbon tour is led by a guide who gives details to the significance of each aspect of the exhibit explaining models, literature, graphics and videos.
    Visitors enter the exhibit by passing through massive cervical walls where they learn about the formation of cancerous tumours in each of the types of gynecologic cancers and how they can be prevented and detected.
    "Hopefully all women know about prevention and this tent can go to other places too and reach the most people possible," said Romina Alba who was visiting the hospital for a routine check-up when the ribbon caught her eye.
    On the other end of the ribbon, tour goers get the opportunity to inspect breast tissues from the inside out as the guide explains the formation of polyps and tumours.
    The organizers say the exhibit is the first of its kind dedicated to cancers that are found specifically in women.
    In addition to the exhibit the hospital will host informative conferences on Thursday (August 11) and Friday.
    The hospital is also offering free consults to women seeking medical advice or screenings.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register