Accra, Feb.3, GNA - Dr Billy Bosu, Programme Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases, Ghana Health Service (GHS), on Friday called for increased political will to fund the prevention and treatment of cancers in Ghana.
He said although the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), covered aspects of cancer treatment, patients had to pay for
uncovered aspects, which involve huge sums of monies for treatment and care.
Dr Bosu said that most patients who could not afford such amounts abandoned treatment halfway.
He was addressing a seminar on the theme: “Together We Can Overcome Cancer”, to commemorate World Cancer Day in Accra on Friday.
The Day that was instituted by the United Nations falls on February 4 each year.
The event was organised by Cancer Society of Ghana in collaboration with UN Information Centre, GHS, Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation.
Dr Bosu stressed the need for intensified public education on the disease, which had assumed a relatively higher burden in the country compared to the past.
He said that although 40 per cent of cancers were curable, while one third could be prevented, and another one third managed, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancers and new cases had remained a huge challenge.
Dr Bosu said, currently, cancers were gradually assuming the lead as the number one killer disease, yet it had received very minimal publicity.
He called on the media to partner health professionals and other institutions in expanding knowledge and education on the dangers of the disease.
Dr Bonsu said that GHS had received budget approval for funds to support its Cancer Chart programme, “to consider the burden under a broad spectrum”.
He called for preventive measures for cancers and other non-communicable diseases, early detection at the clinical level, cure and enhancement of awareness creation.
Professor Joe Nat Clegg-Lamptey, Head of Department of Surgery, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), who spoke on breast cancer, said in Ghana the disease had been predominant in women with about one million new cases diagnosed every year.
He said that at KBTH alone about 248 breast cancer cases were reported at its Surgical Out Patient Department in 2011 of which most cases had reached advanced stages and therefore little could be done about them.
Prof. Clegg-Lamptey noted that unlike previous years when the pattern of age group of breast cancer, which used to be diagnosed among women between the ages of 40 to 49 years, currently, relatively young women between the ages of 20 and to 24 years were presenting advanced stages of the disease, which was very alarming.
He stated that millions of people globally had been diagnosed with various cancers, while in Ghana about 16,000 cases of cancers were reported each year and were killing more people than HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Prof. Clegg-Lamptey said the causative factors for the increase in the disease burden as poor knowledge, late detection and diagnosis, delays in treatment procedures, negative socio-cultural believes and lack of funds for treatment.
He mentioned certain negative lifestyle patterns such as poor eating habits and lack of frequent exercising, which could lead to obesity particularly in women, enhancing their risks levels, and added that “People with strong family history of breast cancer were at risk”.
Prof. Clegg-Lamptey said though treatment was available in Ghana and covered partially under the NHIS, there were limited service facilities to deal with the increasing cases and “Currently there are only two cancer treatment centres, one at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the other at the KBTH”.
He advised patients to desist from the use of herbal concoctions in the treatment of suspected breast lumps, but to report to the hospital for proper and early detection, diagnosis.
Prof.Clegg-Lamptey reiterated the need for continuous medical education of health professionals, public education and extended coverage of breast cancer management to the rest of the country could be the way forward to reducing the disease burden.
Dr Sylvia Deganus, a Gynecologist at Tema General Hospital, speaking on the burden of cervical cancer, said it was estimated that 2,000 out of 3,000 cervical cancer patients die each year died.
She said cervical cancer caused one out of four deaths of all cancer cases, however data in Ghana was very limited and mostly facility based.
Dr Deganus indicated that 38 per cent of cancers diagnosed in women were found to be cervical cancer, which she explained was an uncontrolled growth of cervical tissues in women.
She said: “Relatively young cases are currently being reported, which is very alarming for a developing country like Ghana where women form majority of the working force”.
Dr Degnanus said: “For every woman, before age 20, her cervix is fully developed and frequent sex exposes them to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a germ that causes rashes on the cervix, which develops into cancer”.
He said women, who experienced early onset of sex before they attain 20 years and women with multiple partners were seriously at risk of having cervical cancer.
Dr Deganus said records showed that at KBTH between 2003 and 2011, diagnosed 1,290 cervical cancer cases out of the total of 4,497 cases reported in women and they come at advanced stages and too late.
She said although there existed a national policy on cancer, Ghana had not done well in the area of cervical cancer prevention and treatment as alternative forms of cervical cancer treatment such as the HPV vaccine, which were given on private request were very expensive for patients to afford, which the two main cancer treatment centres discouraged people in remote areas of the country from accessing such facilities.
Dr Alexandra Osafo, a Pediatrician at KBTH, reiterated the need for expanded support for childhood cancers, and indicated that the year’s celebrations 'should also be used to solicit funding to support children diagnosed with various forms of cancers in Ghana.
She called on local pharmaceutical companies to consider the concentration of cancer drugs in smaller volumes for children to make them much affordable.
Dr Osafo called for the development of appropriate protocols and guidelines for cancer treatment and ensure that cancer cases in children were fully covered under the NHIS.
She indicated that 18 new cases in children were recorded at KBTH at the end of January 2012 and an average of between 10 to 12 cases were reported on normal daily clinics for treatment and care.
Dr Osafo said there had been changes in the trend of cancer cases reported in children in recent times, with blood-related cancers such as leukemia assuming a higher stage in reported cases in children.
She mentioned some of cancer symptoms in children as whitish sports on the iris, sudden onset of blindness, loss of appetite and weight, fever, swellings in the neck, head abdomen, pelvis, testis, paleness and aching bones.
Dr Osafo said it was critical that cancers in children were detected early in order to prevent deaths.
