Women have been advised to go for regular breast cancer screening, as early detection is crucial to curing the disease. Ms Janet Adom, a student nurse at the Valley View University, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency(GNA), said breast cancer occurred when cells in the breast begun to grow out of control.
She explained, it was necessary to go for regular breast screening, to detect early symptoms in case they exist, adding that, “early treatment is the best guarantee for successfully curing the disease.”
She said women should also endeavour to do self-examination for symptoms of breast cancer. Ms Adom said people with breast cancer, should visit the hospital regularly and also take their medication seriously to increase their chances of getting cured.
Mr Dennis Quashie, a worker at the Ghana Highway Authority, said her sister died of breast cancer two years ago, and he believed that she could have survived, if she had been more regular with her hospital check-ups.
"It is better to go for regular breast cancer screening, because early detection is vital to getting cured,” Mr Quashie said.He urged men to play their part in the fight against breast cancer, by encouraging their wives, daughters, mothers and friends to go for regular checks.
Ms Ama Wiredua, a trader at Tema station said, she had never gone for breast cancer screening but does self-examination. “My husband does it for me sometimes by helping me to examine my breast,” she added.
Ms Wiredua, therefore, advised people to stop using herbs for cancer treatment, and endeavour to go to the hospital. In Ghana, 2,900 cases are diagnosed annually, a prevalence rate of approximately 17 per cent and one in eight women diagnosed died from it, and breast cancer has become the second leading cause of cancer death in Ghana.
By Stephen Appiah/ Mohammed Abdulai/ Priscilla Amoako, GNA