BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Over 800 women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in Brunei over the last decade, with 139 cases reported in 2016, Brunei's Minister of Health Haji Zulkarnain said on Wednesday.
The minister said in a statement for Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2017 that the majority of breast cancer cases occur in women aged 40 to 60 in Brunei.
"One can reduce their risk of getting cancer by living a healthy lifestyle," he said. "This includes regular exercise, consuming a healthy diet and avoiding known risk factors such as smoking."
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide, with the likelihood of one in eight women developing breast cancer in their lifetime.
"Early detection of breast cancer is the key to improving chances of survival," said the minister. "If the disease is found at an early stage, treatment is much more effective at removing the cancer and lowering the chance of it returning in the future."
