'Fashion medication' exposes women to breast cancer

Older women who take in medication to keep them young and gives them the sense of young feeling stand the risk of contracting breast Cancer.

Dr Emmanuel M. Sowah, the Superintendent of the VRA (VRA) Hospital in Accra, who disclosed this said, ‘some old ladies would always want to look like young ladies and therefore resort to medication that gives them the desired result but that exposes them to breast Cancer.’

He therefore advised them to stay away from that unhealthy practice.

Dr Sowah was addressing participants of the 2018 Annual Internal Audit and Governance Conference organised by the Institute of Internal Auditors-Ghana (IIA) held in Accra.

The two-day event was dubbed “Impact of leadership on institutional governance”.

Topics treated included; governing boards: challenges, impact and remedies, the impact of the internal Auditor’s evidence on investigations, facing up to the challenges of the internal audit profession, business systems; social media and associated cyber threats, audit committee effectiveness and its impact on institutional governance and the need for the busy executive to find time to deal with the threat of prostrate, cervical and breast cancer.

Dr Sowah said dense breasts, overweight, taking of oral contraceptive pills and drinking of alcohol also put women at a high risk of getting the disease and advised women to from time to time, examine their breasts to detect any change so as to seek early medical attention to avoid surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.

The Medical Superintendent advised them to disabuse their minds from the fact that there were herbal treatments. “Myths such as the use of micro-wave, too much Mammogram, among others, also lead to breast cancer, should be disregarded.”

He said men, who had the history of prostate cancer in their families, being black and old also stood at high risk of getting the disease and advised them to eat balanced diet, exercise and do regular check-ups.

Mrs Juliet Aboagye-Wiafe, President of IIA at the closing session thanked their sponsors for making the programme a success.

Mr Moses Kwame Gyasi won the personality award, for his contribution to the growth of the audit profession in Ghana whereas GRIDCO and Ghana Airports Company Limited won the outstanding partners awards.