The first ever cancer registry in Ghana, located at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), has made modest gains since its establishment in 2012.

The Kumasi Cancer Registry has been facilitating data collection and effective management of the disease over the past three years.

Although work started on the facility in 2012, it became official in 2014 after going through rigorous tests.

Currently, the facility is on the threshold of becoming a research center for both medical professionals and academics to access data to influence health policies in Kumasi.

Although President John Mahama two years ago called for the establishment of a National Cancer Registry to provide care caregivers opportunity to improve services using adequate and reliable data,  that is yet to happen.

The Kumasi Cancer Registry solely captures all cancer data from the metropolis which will help calculate cancer incidents.

That is the registry will facilitate the collation of the number of new cases diagnosed in a year and prevalence of the disease in the metropolis.

Statistics from the registry reveal 1, 002 cases of cancer were recorded in medical facilities in Kumasi between 2012 and 2014.

Liver, prostate and head cancers top infection among men while breast, cervical and ovarian cancers lead the chart in women.

Last year figures represent 49 per cent increase with breast, cervical and liver cancers topping the list in both males and females.

60% of cancer patients in the metropolis are between the active working ages of 45 and 59.

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi South Hospital, Suntreso Government Hospital among others and over 6 laboratories which include Medilab and Soyuz serve as sources of cancer cases for the registry.

Early detection and management of cancers is said to save the lives of about 90% of patients.

But ironically, at least, 70% of cases reported at health facilities in the metropolis are at the advanced stage, leading to an increase in cancer-related deaths.

Patients have over the years resorted either to traditional medicines or prayer camps for treatment. They end up at the hospital with either stage 3 or 4 of cancer.

But despite working with limited resources in temporal office it shares with other departments, the Kumasi Cancer Registry’s research article, titled “Cancer Incidence in Ghana, 2012: evidence from a population-based cancer registry” was published in the famous London-based BioMed Central journal.

Medical Director at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr. Baffuor Awuah who is the brain behind the registry established in 2012 is happy at the gains made so far.

“If you know more women are developing breast cancer; then as a metropolis, if we are allocating our resources, where do we put our money as far as early detection, diagnosis and management is concern? If more women are developing [cervical cancer] this; how do we intensify our screening. In the same way the treatment we are given them, how do we make sure they are effective? If you go to the registry and look at the outcome and the treatmen we are given them, you can also assess yourself. Following-up on those who have survived cancers will also lead you to another realm of study”. Dr. Baffuor Awuah explained.

Dr. Baffuor Awuah is also unhappy patients have taken little or no advantage of various interventions available to prevent and manage the disease because most cancer cases get to hospitals late.

 He wants public perception about cancer changed.

“All cancers that come, they were coming at advanced stage. More than 70% come with stage 3; stage 4. One thing about cancer is; when it is starting; no matter how big it is, it is not painful. You don’t see blood or anything. And in our society, something showing blood, pain that is the time the person will go to hospital.

"You have a patient and he gets to a prayer camp because its not painful or he is not breeding, the suspicion is that person has been bewitched or something till it gets to the last hour. So we must begin to do a reverse tracing", Dr Baffuor Awuah said.