Sustained public education needed to fight breast cancer – Dr Dwobeng

Dr. Bismark Dwobeng, Oncology Specialist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, has called for a sustained public education campaign and sensitization on breast cancer.
He said most women who visited the hospital and were diagnosed with breast cancer were often not aware of the disease and stayed home for the disease to deteriorate the breast before seeking medical attention.
Speaking at a breast cancer awareness walk in Kumasi as part of activities marking the breast cancer month, Dr Dwobeng pointed out that early detection was key in the treatment and management of breast cancer.
The walk was organized by the Ocology Department of KATH in collaboration with Global Access to cancer care Foundation to create awareness on breast cancer pink October.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October is a global initiative to encourage people to come together to raise awareness, promote education, and support patients and survivors of breast cancer.
It is also to commit to strengthening actions aimed at improving access to quality care, including screening, early detection, treatment, and palliative care.
The walk started from Kumasi central prisons and went through some principal streets with participants holding placards with inscriptions such as ‘breast cancer is curable,’ ‘screen every year at age 40 and above’, ‘detect to protect’, ‘giving up is not an option’ among others.
The theme for this year’s awareness month is “Living beyond Breast Cancer, together we can”
Dr. Dwobeng said the agenda for this year’s breast cancer awareness was to inform people in the Ashanti region that, there was life beyond breast cancer and that there was the need to embark on regular checkups.
He said detecting breast cancer early increased the chances of beating it and advised women to visit hospital when they felt something unusual in the breast during regular examination.
Dr. Dwobeng said men could also contribute to its early detection during sucking and fondling of the breast of their partners.
Mrs. Tonya Dean Steiner Grant, CEO for Global Access to Cancer Foundation in a solidarity message, urged members of the public and women, to make themselves available for screening for early detection and treatment, stating that, males could equally be affected by breast cancer.
Mrs. Naana Akyea Asante, a breast cancer survivor, who narrated her ordeal after she was diagnosed of breast cancer, encouraged women not to be afraid of the mammogram since it could significantly improve everyday screening and diagnosis.

Source: newsghana.com.gh