PRESS RELEASE
By the time you finish reading this article about four (4) women might have been killed by breast cancer which according to the World Health Organization (WHO) kills one woman in every 69 seconds somewhere in the world.
Cancer deaths surpass death caused by malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined and this makes cancer one of the silent killers in the world today.
In Africa, Ghana is placed 10th in the rankings of breast cancer burden on the continent. In real terms about 5 million Ghanaians are at risk of developing breast cancer.
More than 60% of cancer patients in this country are usually diagnosed at late stages at which point treatment options are less and also very expensive to the patients, their families and to the nation.
Deaths as a result of breast cancer might even have been under-declared due to the absence of a cancer registry in the country. Breast Care International (BCI), non-governmental organization, is working to establish a breast cancer data base that will conduct research and produce accurate information on the disease.
Breast cancer usually starts as a small tumour in the breast from where it grows, if unattended to, and spreads to affect the target organs that include the lungs, liver, heart, brains and bones, eventually leading to death.
The social life of patients suffering from locally advanced stage of the disease is greatly affected as they have to retire from public life due to an offensive odour that accompanies a discharge from the breast. Even family and friends shy away from such patients at that stage.
Due to its painless nature people (both women and men) who are affected do not even pay attention to it until it is late, once there is no pain, they think there is no danger. The good news is that it can be cured when detected early; alas many are unaware of this fact.
In Ghana early detection and treatment has been the focus of BCI, but has been a difficult task, because people have associated superstitions to the disease with ignorance and fear also contributing to the refusal by victims to report to hospitals for proper diagnosis and treatment. Fighting ignorance, tackling the myths and demystifying the misconceptions surrounding the disease is half of the battle won.
Lack of access to health care centers has also contributed to the burden of breast cancer in addition to the above factors. The few centers that provide management of the disease are also far from many people who live in the countryside.
Most women who are mostly affected have in the past and even now relied heavily on herbs, concoctions and prayer camps as preferred choices for treatment. They only get to realize that treatment can be found at the hospitals when the harm has already been done, at which point the only treatment option available is mastectomy (removal of the entire breasts) or palliative care.
When at an advanced stage the cost of treating breast cancer becomes rather too expensive.
Most people especially in the rural parts of the country are unfortunately not aware that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) the treatment and this obviously goes a long way to lessen the burden of the poor who may not be able to afford the high cost of treatment.
The consensus among medical professionals is that the country has to pay greater attention to the disease in a manner equal to the attention accorded to other diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and the much touted HIV/AIDS.
A concerted effort has to be adopted to confront the scourge of cancers which is spreading like a wild savannah fire killing both adults and children and leaving in its wake orphans and destitute children.
Breast Care International (BCI) and its president, Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe Addai, for the past decades has been a non-governmental organization serving as a lone voice in the fight against breast cancer and championing the drive to create awareness, treatment and research.
The organization believes in and is creating awareness through education and free clinical breast screenings in rural and urban communities. It has succeeded in bringing breast cancer to the front burner of national discussions.
In collaboration with its partners it has made significant progress in reducing deaths resulting from cancer, which is mostly due to early detection and adequate treatment.
It is however very important to get health policy makers to also attach great seriousness to the disease and also direct resources towards tackling breast cancer. It will be fruitless if the country only waits to act when the toll has become unbearable.
It will be needless to enumerate what the socio-economic consequences of the disease are, but it will suffice to say that women who keep the homes are in greater danger and this alone calls for dispatch in finding quick solutions.
The goal of BCI to reduce the number of women who present for diagnosis of the disease at late stage is very laudable and encouraging. This is very much a first step in the long journey towards curbing the menace.
The country as a whole should join in the pioneering efforts of Breast Care International to fight breast cancer and preserve the dignity of men, women and children who are all at risk. The time to act is now.
