Women urged to report problems in their breast early

The Chief Executive Officer of Breast Care International (BCI), Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has lamented the fact that despite educational campaigns for women with problems in their breasts to report to the hospital early for attention, more people are reporting late, thereby developing advanced stages of breast cancer.

“At the moment, there is a health officer with an advanced stage of breast cancer. We have lawyers and accountants, and you wonder why with all the education people still stay in a state of denial, thinking God will save them and so there is no need to go to the hospital,” she stated.

Delivering a lecture at a meeting organised by the Rotary Club, Accra, Dr Wiafe said, “We all believe that God would do it, but he helps those who help themselves.”

She, therefore, called on pastors to direct women who visit their churches with problems in their breasts to visit the hospital for proper examination and treatment if there was a need for such.

At the moment, she said, there were close to 700 breast cancer survivors in the country who were going about their normal duties.

Late reporting

However, Dr Addai said, because others reported late, they ended up having maggots in their breast by the time they got to the hospital.

She stated that although a lot of those affected by breast cancer were women, some men also developed the disease since they had nipples and ducts.

“More than 70 per cent of all breast cancer starts from the duct and so once you have the duct, you can also develop breast cancer. The overall incidence of breast cancer the world over is on the rise and Ghana is no exception,” she said.

Breast cancer, she noted, happened to be the number one killer disease of women all over the world, and it was also the most common cancer among women.

The BCI president said in this part of the world, close to 70 per cent of all cancer deaths in women came from breast cancer, which was still catching up fast with people.

“One thing about us is that more than 58 per cent of our patients are women below the age of 50. These days we see young girls around the ages of 21 and above. It is something we all have to think about and see the way forward,’ she said.

The disease, she stated, was claiming the lives of a lot of innocent industrious women, and that, she said, was unacceptable.

Myths and misconceptions

 Dr Addai said the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicated in 2002 that cancers were killing more people than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

While the developed world was tackling the diseases head on, she said, “We are quiet about them.” 

“Breast cancer is not painful until it has spread somewhere. If it spreads to the bone, it is very painful and can cause paralysis. If it spreads to the lungs, then fluid accumulates, the woman cannot breathe, and that is when some people are rushed to the hospital,” she pointed out, adding that when the disease spreads to the brain, the woman can go blind or start behaving abnormally.

She noted that breast cancer was surrounded by myths and misconceptions that it was not a curable disease, was caused by witchcraft and a spiritual disease, resulting in women going to prayer camps for solution instead of the hospital.