Ghanaians lifestyles, causing more Cancers

Accra, May 19, GNA - The change of life styles of Ghanaians in their diet is causing rise in cancer cases, Dr William Bosu, Programme Manager of the Non-Communicable Diseases Control Programme, Ghana Health Service said on Friday.

He said eating of fatty foods, lack of physical exercise and smoking of tobacco were some of the adopted life styles causing diseases including cervical and prostrate and breast cancers among other diseases.

Speaking at a Symposium orgainsed by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on the topic "Overview and national response to the problem of cancer in Ghana", Dr Bosu noted other known risk factors for cancer as obesity, occupation, environmental pollution, reproductive factors, socio economic status, radiation, electromagnetic fields and ultraviolet lights.

The Symposium, a continuing professional development programme organised for the southern sector of the association was under the theme "Cancers in Ghana and their management".

He said lack of national data on cancer was hampering the knowledge of the magnitude of it and management measures to be taken to address it, adding "All the statistics we have are hospital based and are coming from the teaching hospitals".

Dr Bosu attributed the lack of data to the stigma and discrimination attached to the diseases and mentioned other areas such as lack of the availability of diagnosticians, facilities, skill and absence of the data and the appropriate measures to curb the situation. Caner accounts for 13 per cent of all global total deaths annually, dietary factors accounts for 30 per cent of all cancers with approximately 20 million people suffering from cancer, a figure projected to rise to 30 million within 20 years. The number of new cases annually is estimated to rise from 10 million to 15 million by 2020 and more than half of all cancer cases occur in the developing countries.

Dr Bosu said the Komfo Anokye Teaching in 2004 admitted 63 Liver Cell Carcinoma cancer cases out of which 36 patients died and 52 Cervix Uteri Unspecified cancer cases were admitted out of which eight died. Seventy new cases Burkitt Lymphoma among children were recorded every year.

The Pathology Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching in a period of 10 years, 1990-1999 recorded a total of 3713 cancer deaths diagnosed at autopsy with 1667 being females and 2046 males.

Dr Bosu called for more public awareness on the early detection and reporting of the disease, address stigma and discrimination, provide more palliative care, high cost of treatment and treatment protocols. He said lack of political will, commercial interest of food, alcohol and tobacco industries, environmental regulation on dumping of refuse and unbridled advertising were a threat to the management of the disease in Ghana.

He said the Centre for Scientific Research into plant Medicine in Mampong Akuapem had clinically proven that herbal medicine could treat some chronic diseases such as sickle cell, asthma, stroke, diabetics, and hypertension adding that the GHS was working with the Centre to find a treatment for cancer.

Dr William Appeadu-Mensah of the Department of Surgery, Korle-Bu said tumours accounted for six per cent of all childhood cancers and was the commonest intra abdominal caner cases at the Paediatric Surgery Unit of the hospital. He said other cancers such as brain tumours were also common among children, which could only be treated by surgery and urged parents to report every unusual swell on their babies for medical attention at an early stage to avert any serious or complications for their children.