‘Report early for breast cancer treatment’
The Chief Executive of the Peace and Love Hospital, Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has advised women to regularly check their breasts and report suspicious symptoms to healthcare professionals for evaluation.
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This, she explained, was necessary because breast cancer symptom progression was a time-dependent factor and any significant delay in diagnosis and treatment could result in an advanced stage of the disease and lowered chances of survival.
She gave the advice during a breast cancer screening exercise organised by the Royal House Chapel in Accra.
Self-examination
“Reporting at the hospital at the early stage of the disease can save your life. Cancer is a curable and preventable disease if diagnosed early and I appeal to all women to seek early treatment,” Dr Wiafe Addai said.
She urged women to conduct self-examination of their breasts on a regular basis, as well as undergo medical screening to ensure that the disease was detected in its early stage.
She said women above 35 years with a family history of the disease must examine themselves frequently even though the disease was also prevalent in women below that age.
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Dr Wiafe Addai noted that many women who were diagnosed with the disease shunned surgery because of the fear of losing their lives, with an estimated 70 per cent of them avoiding “to have their breasts cut off”.
Though the disease affects both men and women in Ghana, it is reported that the incidence among men is about one to three per cent.
The Peace and Love Hospital chief executive advised men to not divorce their wives when they were diagnosed wth breast cancer but rather encourage them and other female relations to seek early treatment.
She called for more education on the disease to ensure early detection and treatment.