Women enlightened on breast cancer

Hundreds of women drawn from the Tuesday Market at Mamprobi in Accra and its environs on Tuesday benefitted from an extensive education on breast cancer as part of this year's Breast Cancer Awareness month celebration.

The programme, which was meant to educate the women on the dangers associated with the breast cancer disease, was put together by the Department of Gender under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

It was also aimed at sensitising and creating more awareness of the need for regular breast screening, for early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

Following the discovery of the disease, the first Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), also referred to as the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), was observed in the United States in 1985.

Early detection

Initially, the aim of the event was to increase the early detection of breast cancer by encouraging women to have mammograms, an x-ray of the breast used to detect abnormalities in breast tissue.

However, the focus of the event has gained wider ground over the years, with a number of organisations, based in the US and in other countries, supporting the event. Currently, the celebration aims at raising funds to support breast research.

Addressing the women during the sensitisation programme, the Deputy Director of Nursing Services (DDNS) of the La-Nkwantanang Health Directorate, Madam Constance Namon, urged the women to pay attention to every new development on their body, especially around the breast.

When that was done, she said, they would be able to seek early treatment rather than treat it as mere infections with self-medication.

Causes of breast cancer

On the causes of breast cancer, Madam Namon said unlike malaria which was known to be caused by a mosquito bite, breast cancer did not have a specific cause but was rather associated with some lifestyle and environmental factors.

Among these, she said, was the age of the woman, where older women were more at risk of developing breast cancer, with women who have had a close relative who had had breast cancer, also being more likely to develop the disease.

Additionally, she said women with denser breast tissue and women, who started having their period’s earlier or entered menopause later than usual, were also at risk of developing the disease.

Madam Namon, therefore, advised women to give birth early and also avoid putting monies, keys or any other metallic objects under their breast, as it could trigger the disease.

She also urged them to pay attention to some symptoms such as a lump in breast, pain in the armpits or breast that does not seem to be related to the woman's menstrual period, pitting or redness of the skin of the breast, a rash around or on one of the nipples, and an area of thickened tissue in a breast.

“When you detect these symptoms, quickly rush to the hospital to seek treatment. It is not spiritual. It can be cured when detected early,” she said.

Regular check-ups

For her part, the acting Director of the Department of Gender of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Madam Lena Alai, urged women to take time off their busy schedules and visit the hospital regularly for early detection of the disease and other illnesses.