Smoking major cause of cancer - Health Expert

The Executive Director of Cancer Health Foundation (CHF) Madam Mary Agyemang has issued a stern warning against smoking, which according to her is the major cause of cancer cases across the globe.

She said smoking is harmful to health and that those who smoke cigarette, marijuana (wee) and cocaine are at risk to get cancer-related diseases.

Speaking in an interview with Agya Owusu Ansah on Otec FM flagship programme "Nyansapo" on Friday 3rd November, 2017 Madam Agyapong stated that about 8million people globally die from cancer every year.

Madam Agyemang added that passive smokers of cigarettes and smoke from bushfires, and excessive drinking of alcohol can also cause cancer-related sicknesses.

She also revealed that more than two thousand women get breast cancer which more than one thousand of them lost their lives every year in Ghana.

Madam Mary Agyapong who is advocating for breast cancer campaign indicated that "there is the need to straighten the breast cancer awareness campaign for the women to know the importance of going to a hospital for breast cancer check up frequently".

According to her, many people have the perception that there is no breast cancer vaccine, but she pointed out that there is a breast cancer vaccines and optimistic that frequent check-up will reduce the breast cancer death rate.

“Every sixty - nine seconds, one woman dies of breast cancer in the global world, this indicates that people are losing their lives due to the perception that getting the disease is an automatic death," She bemoaned.

Mad Mary Agyapong, therefore, appealed to the government to expand the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cover cancer cases because the costs of cancer vaccines are high.