A Clinical Oncologist at the Kolebu Teaching Hospital, (KBTH) Doctor Naa Adorkor Aryeetey has made a shocking revelation about the ignorance of most people about breast cancer disease despite various education.
She made this known in an interview with Helen Appiah Ampofo on the ‘My Health’ segment on 3FM’s Sunrise morning show on Monday October 3, 2022
“You would think that with all the social media, radio and television at least every woman would have heard about breast cancer but unfortunately that is not so. Patients are diagnosed and when you try to get details; they tell you they never noticed a lump and they have no knowledge of breast cancer” She noted.
The Oncologist added that most people in their 30’ and 40’s are mostly the ones who have not heard about cancer, not the old folks.
“Within the month of October I am not sure we do our very best, we try, but we still have people who come to us and they say, they’ve never heard about breast cancer before. I am not talking about old people in the villages, I’m talking about young people in their 30’s and 40’s who have not heard about breast cancer.”
Dr. Naa Aryeetey further added that, patients with breast cancer rather seek alternative care first making treatment difficult when they finally visit oncologists, because the cancer had advanced.
“The problem is that our patients do not come to us early enough, we know we have competitors, alternative health practitioners so unfortunately by the time they (Patients) come to us they have advanced cases which makes cure less likely compared to if you find the disease early and you are diagnosed with the appropriate treatment.” The Oncologist indicated.
Doctor Naa Adorkor Aryeetey also debunked some misconceptions people have about breast cancer.
“Breast cancer is not contagious, using deodorant does not cause breast cancer at all, Black brassiere do not cause breast cancer, and also it is not spiritual, even if it is you have to see an oncologist for the physical aspect to be treated.’’
She further emphasized that being a female is one of the risk factors for developing breast cancer.
“As females, we produce a certain hormone (estrogen) and in helping the breast to grow such that it would be able to feed the child; the cells in the breast can develop breast cancer.”
She therefore encouraged women especially, to undergo screening for early detection and treatment.
By Regina Dzifa Bani|3news.com|Ghana