HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana's next fashion collection will raise money for a breastcancer centre
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Narirattana is to design a line of items - likely either clothing or jewellery to raise money for a breast cancer treatment centre at the National Cancer Institute.
The Princess last week toured the facility on Rama VI Road, visiting patients and drawing attention to the fact that breast cancer claims the lives of 12 Thai women every day on average.
That alarming number could be lowered, institute director Thiravud Khuhaprema said, if more women had regular examinations: Almost 90 per cent of the cancers can be cured if detected early enough.
There are tens of thousands of new patients every year, says Dr Thiravud, and the incidence is steadily increasing.
The proposed centre would handle diagnosis and treatment for both breast and cervical cancer. Patients could be transferred there from around the country, and statistical and research data collated.
Expressing her sympathy for the patients who suffer a great deal, Princess Sirivannavari called the disease "particularly important because it affects to the most fragile part of the female body".
Fashion design has taught her more than just dressmaking, she said. She learned about "giving back" to society, as top clothing and cosmetics firms do often through charitable projects.
"I feel this is a chance for me to step in and lend a hand," the Princess said. "The idea that fashion can benefit society isn't a pipe dream in Thailand."
Breast cancer is the country's No 1 killer, ahead of even lung cancer, and most prevalent in Bangkok, at 25 cases per 100,000 women, and especially in Phra Khanong district.
"Those at highest risk of contracting the disease," Thiravud says, include women who've had cancer in the family and those with a high hormone level, as indicated by having their first period before they were 12 or taking the Pill for a long time."
A diet in which red meat and fatty foods outweigh vegetables and fruit invites breast cancer as well, he says. Having a child, on the other hand, tends to lessen the likelihood.
If a tumour is found, patients undergo a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy and, if necessary, a mastectomy, irradiation or hormonal chemotherapy.
BOX
Be smart, be safe
The best safeguard against breast cancer is regular selfexamination, at least once a month - if you don't know how, see below - and having a mammogram at least once a year.
CHECK FOR A LUMP
* Study your breasts in the mirror with shoulders straight and hands on your hips. Check the size, shape and colouring.
If anything looks unusual or you notice dimpling, puckering or bulging of the skin, or a shift in a nipple's position, shape or size, see the doctor.
* Raise your arms and check again. Look for any signs of fluid from either nipple, whether watery, milky, yellow or bloody.
* Lie on your back and feel your breasts - right hand for the left breast and left hand for the right. Apply the fingers flatly, firmly and smoothly, in small circular motions. Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side.
* Stand or sit and feel your breasts in the same way. Many women prefer to do this in the shower, when the skin is wet and slippery.