‘Let’s demystify breast cancer’

Story: Salome Donkor
The President of Breast Care International (BCI), Dr (Mrs) Beatrice Wiafe-Adae, has called for a concerted effort and intensive education to highlight the world-wide growing breast cancer crisis and its effect on women in particular.
She said it was necessary to demystify breast cancer to disabuse the minds of patients of the fear, misconception and myths surrounding the disease and encourage women to go for regular, medical examination of their breasts.
Speaking in an interview, she said because of the stigmatisation, myth and fear surrounding the disease, nobody wanted to be associated with it, stressing that, that was affecting fight against breast cancer.
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Adae, who is a breast cancer specialist and a surgeon in charge of the Peace and Love Hospital at Kumasi and Accra, said the cause of the disease was unknown but women with breast cancer-positive family histories should have regular breast examinations, and mammogram (breast x-ray), since they are at risk.
She said because the disease was not painful at the initial stages, people with breast cancer did not see the need to seek medical care when they developed the disease but waited till the advanced stage, when it was difficult to manage the disease.
She said all hands must be on deck to equip women with knowledge of the disease, since the lack of it made some victims seek support from herbalists and pastors, instead of visiting a health facility.
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addae expressed concern about the stigmatisation of breast cancer patients and pointed out that “going round to educate people on the disease to ensure early detection and treatment can save the woman’s breast and her life as well”. She stressed “ignorance is killing our women and we have to fight it by empowering them with knowledge of the disease”.
She said for that reason, BCI continued to embark on education and clinical examination in churches, communities and other public areas to counsel women to go for breast screening and encourage those who have developed the cancer to seek treatment.
She added that since the organisation started its programme in 2002, over 150,000 women had been reached, adding that out of 100 people examined every year, “you are likely to get at least one case of breast cancer among the group”.
She advised patients not to be afraid of mastectomy (surgical operation to remove the breast) and other breast cancer treatment, and pointed out that breast cancer was 95 per cent curable when it is detected early.
She advised women not to take any lump in their breast for granted but to seek medical care.