Breast cancer deaths still high in Ghana – Specialist

Hajia Asana Sumani, a health specialist with the Ghana Health Service has disclosed that Breast Cancer disease had killed many women worldwide.

She said the rate of the disease in Ghana was estimated between 50-70 cases in every 100, 000 women across the country.

Hajia Sumani disclosed this during a day’s fellow-up on breast cancer examination, which was organised by the Department of Gender in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Tamale.

The event was to share experiences acquired on the breast and cervical cancers activities carried out after some selected 60 women groups’ leaders were trained on the disease last year.

She said about 99 per cent of all cases of breast cancer in the country were women while the one per cent cases were men.

Hajia Sumani said “This phenomenon is very worrying and therefore needs a concerted effort in detecting and treating the disease early enough to save the lives of women”.

She also advised girls and women to also stop inserting foreign chemicals into their vagina, since these could cause cervical cancer.

She urged the women to educate their groups in the local way to create awareness on the effects and the prevention of the diseases.

As part of a fellow-up, the participants were also taken through breast examination for early detection of cases and also to show them how they could exam the breast themselves.

Hajia Sumani advised women to visit the hospital for breast examination every two years.

Source: GNA