October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is marked in countries across the world, and helps to increase attention and support for awareness, early diagnosis, and treatment as well as palliative care for women facing this disease.
There are about 1.7 million new cases and 522 000 deaths from breast cancer each year (Globocan 2012 http://gco.iarc.fr/today/home). Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and is the most common cause of cancer among women in most countries.
So as people across the globe observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2020, Spice Fm 91.9 MHz will bring you an exclusive interview on the “Adzekyee Mu Nsem” morning show between the hours of 0900 and 10:00 a.m.
We therefore encourage all listeners to tune in as we host Madam Shalleen Essilfie, a Nurse at the Kwesimintsim Hospital in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) in the Western Region.
Meanwhile, here is a brief about the disease. In low- and middle-income countries the incidence has been rising steadily due to increased life expectancy, changing reproductive patterns (such as later age at first childbirth and less breast-feeding), and the adoption of western lifestyles.
Early diagnosis remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. When found early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are available, there is a good chance that breast cancer can be cured. If detected late, however, curative treatment is often no longer an option.
In such cases, treatment may improve quality of life and delay disease progression, while supportive and palliative care should be readily available to relieve suffering for patients and their families.
The majority of women who die from breast cancer (324 000) live in low- and middle-income countries, where most women are diagnosed in late stages due to a variety of factors. These include limited awareness on the part of the public and health care providers, and the lack of access to timely, affordable and effective diagnosis and treatment.
Breast cancer, the most common cancer worldwide, is the leading cause of cancer mortality in Ghanaian women. Previous studies find Ghanaian women are diagnosed at a younger age and at more advanced stages (III and IV), and have tumors with characteristics similar to African American women.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
