The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and People to People International (PTPI) of the United States jointly launched a Breast Cancer Awareness project for China Wednesday.

The purpose of the project is to increase awareness among Chinese women of the benefits and the need for regular breast self-examinations and medical check-ups.

Phase one of the project aims to increase awareness among Chinese women of the dangers of breast cancer and the importance of early detection.

Phase two will be an effort to establish a number of first-class breast cancer diagnostic centers and provide personnel training. The first diagnostic center will be established in Beijing with the cooperation of Beijing Union Medical College Hospital.

CPAFFC Vice-President Li Xiaolin said many Chinese women have not noticed the threat to their health that comes with changes in lifestyle and diet.

She said that too much fat, a refusal to feed babies with mother's milk, wearing too tight brassieres made of chemical fibers, environmental pollution, and too much meat are the main reasons for hormone imbalance which causes breast cancer.

PTPI Chief Executive Officer Mary Jean Eisenhower expressed the hope that all Chinese women make the effort to increase their knowledge of this global problem and take active steps towards prevention.

The incidence of breast cancer in China has increased by at least 27 percent over the past decade, and 40 percent of the Chinese women diagnosed with breast cancer die within five years because the cancer is already very advanced when it is diagnosed.

PTPI is an American non-profit organization founded by former President Eisenhower in 1956. PTPI organizes numerous international exchanges, international educational experiences and humanitarian programs to help foster understanding and peace.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2002)