About 5,000 cases of breast cancer are recorded in the country every year, with an estimated 2,695 women dying from the disease.

Also, about 70 per cent of breast cancer patients present themselves at health facilities at advanced stages, making treatment a challenge.

A Senior Specialist in Radiation and Clinical Oncology at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Mary Ann-Dadzie, disclosed this at the launch of this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, popularly known as Pinktober in Accra, on the theme: “Early action, better outcomes.”

She said the average age at diagnosis was 49, meaning that many of the women affected were in the prime of their lives, building careers and families.

“The real enemy here is lateness. Because once it's found late, it's harder to treat. The treatment is longer,” she said.

Observation

The Deputy Minister of Health, Prof. Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, who launched the initiative, said breast cancer remained the foremost cancer among women in the country.

She said although the disease was less common among men, it also affected them, leading to emotional, social and financial consequences for families, while placing a heavy demand on the health system.

“Awareness alone is, therefore, clearly not enough. We must turn awareness into action and commitment into health services that save lives,” she said.

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah said the country’s response to breast cancer was built around four pillars: prevention, early detection, equitable access to treatment and compassionate care.

She said the country was guided by the World Health Organisation’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative, which sought to reduce breast cancer deaths by 2.5 per cent annually.

The initiative, the deputy minister said, had three benchmarks, including having at least 60 per cent of cancers diagnosed at an early stage, completing diagnosis within 60 days of first presentation and ensuring that at least, 80 per cent of patients completed treatment.

She mentioned fear, stigma, misinformation, cost and distance as some of the barriers that made women delay in seeking care.

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah said the government was strengthening the country’s cancer response through the National Cancer Registry and a revised national cancer strategy.

She added that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as Mahama Cares, was being operationalised to support citizens living with non-communicable diseases, including cancers. 

The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Caroline Reindorf Amissah, also said her outfit was implementing a breast cancer project in the Ashanti, Northern and Greater Accra regions, in partnership with JHPIEGO, an NGO, with funding from the Pfizer Foundation.

She said the project had equipped healthcare providers with skills to conduct breast clinical examinations, strengthen breast cancer education and address myths and misconceptions that could delay care-seeking.

Dr Amissah said providers had also been trained to support patient navigation to ensure that women with breast abnormalities were appropriately referred and linked to diagnostic services.

She called on health professionals, communities, workplaces, the media, civil society organisations and development partners to intensify education and promote timely health-seeking behaviour.

In a speech read on behalf of the WHO Country Director, Dr Fiona Braka, by an officer from the organisation, Dr Joana Ansong, she said breast cancer had become a major public health challenge in Africa.

She said every woman should know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and understand the importance of seeking care early when changes were detected.