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Health News for Thursday, October 8, 2020
Source: Abdul Karim Naatogmah, Contributor
2020-10-08
230 Ghanaian patients have so far accessed innovative treatment for breast cancer
In support of the government’s push to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has added a Specialty Breast Cancer Drug (Herceptin) to the National Scheme Drug list Health Insurance System (NHIS), ranking Ghana as the first country in the sub-Saharan African region to do so.
Herceptin is the brand name for a drug called Trastuzumab + recombinant human hyaluronidase that is used to treat breast cancer, esophageal cancer, and stomach cancer.
From July 2019 to July 2020, 230 Ghanaian patients, including a 25-year-old, have accessed this innovative treatment for Her2 + breast cancer under the NHIS.
The Authority adopted the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) strategy to make the Herceptin drug affordable for beneficiaries.
The NHIA association is for the one that can be given by subcutaneous injection, which is an injection into a person’s thigh that takes a few minutes (this can only be used for breast cancer).
Herceptin efficacy
Herceptin works by blocking the effects of HER2 and by stimulating the immune system (the body’s natural defenses) to attack and destroy cancer cells. Herceptin can help control the growth of cancer cells that contain high amounts of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
High levels of HER2 are found in some types of breast, esophageal, and stomach cancer, helping cancer cells grow and survive. These are known as HER2-positive cancers. About one (1) in five (5) breast and stomach cancers are HER2 positive.
Herceptin use
If a person has cancer of the breast, esophagus, or stomach, they are required to have tests to see if the cancer is HER2 positive before offering Herceptin.
Herceptin can be used to treat early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer after surgery or radiation therapy and chemotherapy to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
It can be used to treat HER2-positive advanced breast cancer that has spread from the breast (metastatic breast cancer), to slow cancer growth and increase survival time.
Herceptin is useful for treating HER2-positive advanced stomach cancer that has spread outside the stomach (metastatic stomach cancer) and HER2-positive advanced gastroesophageal cancer, which affects where the esophagus joins the stomach.
Herceptin dosage
Herceptin is given during visits to a hospital or clinic. It can be administered in two ways. That’s by infusion, where the drug slowly enters the blood through a drip. The first treatment usually lasts about 90 minutes and subsequent treatments last about 30 minutes.
It can also be given by subcutaneous injection, which is an injection into a person’s thigh that takes a few minutes (this can only be used for breast cancer).
Anyone taking Herceptin for the first time will need to stay in a hospital for about 6 hours so they can be monitored for any side effects. For subsequent treatment sessions, the person will only need up to 2 hours in a hospital.
Someone with breast cancer will receive treatment every 1 to 3 weeks, but stomach and esophagus cancer is usually treated once every 3 weeks. Early stage breast cancer will need treatment for 1 year. For breast, esophageal, or stomach cancer that has spread, treatment is used as long as it is helpful.
Exempt category
Herceptin should not be used to treat people with non-HER2-positive breast, esophagus, or stomach cancer. It may also not be suitable if a person has a pre-existing heart condition, such as heart failure, severe angina, or a problem with the heart valves, people with high blood pressure (hypertension), pregnant women, nursing mothers, and pregnant women. .
Breast cancer and its concomitant consequences
Breast cancer forms in the cells of the breast. This occurs mainly in women and rarely in men. The most common cancers in women are cervical, breast, liver, ovarian, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in women in Ghana and one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity. According to the National Strategy for Cancer Control (NSCC 2014-2017), in Ghana, the majority of patients, approximately 50-70%, have advanced disease (stage III and stage IV) many months (8-10 months) after first noticing a change in your chest.
Symptoms of breast cancer include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple, and changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast. Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer. It can consist of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer Group estimates that 16,600 cases of cancer occur in Ghana annually, yielding an age-standardized rate of 109.5 cases per 100,000 people.
The World Health Organization estimates that, globally, more than 11 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. The disease causes 7 million deaths each year or 12.5% of the 58 million deaths worldwide. This is more than the combined total of deaths from HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Economic implications
From Ghana’s perspective, breast cancer has a great impact on economically dynamic Ghanaian women and families in general. It was in this context that the government of Ghana partnered as part of a concerted effort to help address the health hazard.
Following a memorandum of understanding signed in 2018, following a series of previous collaborations in cancer care in Ghana, an agreement was signed between the world’s largest biotechnology company, based in Basel, Switzerland, Roche Global and the Ministry of Health aimed at improving access to quality. cancer care and treatment.
The CEO of Roche Global and the Minister of Health were the signatories.
The MOU focuses on financing cancer care, awareness of the disease, the ability of health professionals to adequately care for patients, the capacity of health systems, including limited infrastructure, among others.
The key areas of the partnership between the Ministry of Health and its agencies and Roche under this program include, Development of a National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP), Early Detection Campaigns, Quality of Care – Health Systems – Diagnosis and Treatment, Human Resources Capacity for Cancer Care. Construction and cancer data registry.
Funding for breast cancer treatment is an integral part of the work plan of the government, NHIA, and donor partners who are committed to achieving established goals through the implementation of systematic, equitable, and evidence-based prevention programs. NHIS your access to health care.
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