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Health News for Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2020-10-28
Korle-Bu Teaching Oncologist, Dr. Joel Yarney
Ghana, among other countries, continues to lose women to breast cancer due to poor information on breast cancer.
Reports indicate that nearly 70% of women are diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease, leading to an increase in deaths.
A Korle-Bu teaching oncologist, Dr. Joel Yarney, has revealed to GhanaWeb that the proportion of women reporting stage 4 cancer in Ghana has not changed in the last 20 years.
In an interview on the GhanaWeb Special on Breast Cancer Awareness, she indicated that regular breast screening can help detect lumps in the early stages.
“Our biggest problem is the late presentation… I can tell you that for more than 20 years there has been no change in the presentation setting. The proportion of patients admitted with stage 3 and 4 disease has not changed in the last 20 years, “he said.
Dr. Yarney, therefore, suggested decentralizing breast care to the district level, as that will ensure that every woman in the country is screened.
Women have been advised not to wait until October before having a breast exam.
“I have nothing against the celebration of World Cancer Day, it is good but I would prefer that we approach it in a more systematic way, that is, that it is rooted in our health system so that you do not have to wait a year before to hear a message about breast cancer, ”Dr. Yarney advised.
She added that for fear of losing the breast, some women rely on herbal medicines, and others end up in prayer camps to heal.
“Unfortunately, people go to the prayer camps and when they come to us (the hospital), it is already too advanced. I have nothing against praying, but I come to the hospital and keep praying, ”Dr. Yarney said in an interview with GhanaWeb.
Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, an oncology nurse specialist at Korle-Bu University Hospital, also advised women to get into the habit of self-examining their breasts, which is best done between the third and fifth day after menstruation.
See GhanaWeb’s special on breast cancer awareness below:
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