The President of Breast Care International (BCI), Dr. Beatrice Wiafe- Addai, has raised concern that environmental pollution caused by illegal mining activities could be contributing to the rising cases of breast cancer and other cancers in the Eastern Region.
According to the Global Cancer Observatory, more than 5,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually in Ghana, with about 2,300 losing their lives to the disease.
There is a sharp rise in breast cancer cases in Eastern Region over the years.
Speaking at a breast cancer awareness event in Koforidua, Dr.Beatrice Wiafe Addai explained that research has found dangerously high levels of mercury and other pollutants in communities affected by illegal mining. These toxins, she noted, have been linked to increased cancer risks.
“We tasked the University of Environment and Sustainable Development to check the conditions in our soil, water bodies, food, and the river bodies, and we came out with the fact that we are having a lot of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic in this region. So, it’s actually pointing to the fact that the environmental pollution probably is aiding the rise of breast cancer in the region and probably the other cancers, like prostate cancer, which we also do not know the exact cause of”. Dr.Beatrice Wiafe Addai stated.
She emphasized, however, that while there is no single known direct cause of breast cancer, factors such as heredity, smoking, delayed childbirth, and childlessness can heighten the risk.
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“We still don’t know the cause of breast cancer, but we know of some risk factors. And among the risk factors happen to be, just being a woman is a big risk factor, norepinephrine women, women who have never delivered before, elderly primates. So if you’re a woman and you are listening to me and you have never delivered before, don’t think that because you didn’t use your breasts, you can’t get breast cancer. You are at a higher risk. Again, women who had their first child when they were 33 years and above, such women are also in the risk group.” She explained.
Nonetheless, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe -Addai urged women not panic about the stigma that unfortunately surrounds the disease, regularly examine their breast for early detection and treatment.
“We want our women to remove the fear and the stigma surrounding breast cancer so that we will increase the number of women surviving the disease and reduce those dying needlessly from breast cancer”.
She added that “in fact, it’s important that we diagnose the disease early and start treatment early. Because if we find the disease early, we don’t even have to remove the entire breast.We do what we call breast conserving surgery and we preserve the breast for the woman. It’s only when the woman doesn’t come early that we have to remove the entire breast. But even then, if we do the right things, like do the new adjuvant chemotherapy and we operate at the right time when the disease has not spread, the woman will live as long as God has given”
Dr. Liesbeth Janssen, an internationally recognised surgical oncologist and theoretical physicist, stressed that early detection and access to treatment services remain critical to reducing deaths from breast cancer in Ghana.
October is marked as Breast Cancer Awareness month. Awareness campaigns have been intensified across the country.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
