Over 2 million women worldwide are being diagnosed with breast cancer each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed.
It indicated that breast cancer is the most frequent cancer amongst women, and also causes the greatest number of cancer related deaths among women.
In 2018, it was estimated that 627,000 women worldwide died from breast cancer that is approximately 15% of all cancer deaths among women.
While breast cancer rates are higher among women in more developed countries, rates are increasing in nearly every country globally.
Currently there is not sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer. Therefore, early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control.
When breast cancer is detected 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, palliative care to relief the suffering of patients and their families is needed.
In Ghana however, there were over 2000 recorded cases of breast cancer in 2012. Only 1.2 of breast cancer was found in Men and most of the patients were between 40 to 49 years.
The number of women being diagnosed with breast cancer in Ghana had increased over the years and is expected to rise in subsequent years and this was according to the Head of Breast Cancer Unit at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Florence Dedey in 2017.
She added that unfortunately, 60 to 70% of Ghanaian women report to the hospital in late stages when the cancer cells may have spread to other parts of the body which eventually leads to death.
October is marked as the Breast Cancer Awareness Month worldwide which helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease.
The theme of the World Cancer Day for 2019, 2020 and 2021 is “I can and I will”.
BY: YASMINE AHMED KANTON
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