Head of Surgery of the Ho Teaching Hospital in the Volta Region, Dr Nelson Affram, has implored Ghanaians to continue to screen for breast cancer even after the month of October.
According to him female breast cancer tops the cases in the region, thus leading cause of deaths among all cancers.
Dr Affram was giving education on breast cancer to residents of Akome Gborgame in the Ho West District at the weekend during a free health screening organised by KEB Health Foundation, belonging to Emmanuel Bedzrah, MP for the area.
In all about 20 women went through breast screening exercise.
Dr Affram stated further that “looking at our grey data for a period now with 278 reported cases of cancer in Ho Teaching Hospital, those who underwent full treatment, 65 per cent have their whole breasts removed with 35 per cent having lumps removed from their breasts.”
He said the hospitals were getting cases where doctors could not do surgery due to the seriousness of cases, adding that they were only giving palliative treatment to give quality of life to such affected patients.
He explained that the country had lost many souls through breast cancer, saying that after the pandemic the risk of breast cancer was increasing among people.
Dr Affram, therefore, advised that one had to do regular screening, checks, ideally once every month to look for signs and symptoms that could be an indication of breast cancer.
“We need to be aware of early signs and symptoms since most breast cancers are potentially curable if diagnosed in early stages”, he stressed.
At the same venue more than 500 of residents of Akome Gborgame were screened for Hepatitis B, Blood Pressure, eye, and dental among other laboratory tests and offered medical consultations as well by the same Foundation.
Dr Collins Dela Klugh of 37 Military Hospital who was in charge of the exercise advised the residents to be concerned and interested in their health.
According him, the MP founded the Foundation to bring health needs to the doorstep of his constituents.
He noted that all those who were screened were provided with medications and those with complicated cases were referred.
FROM KAFUI GATI, AKOME GBORGAME
