Women are advised to rise above their personal preferences, Privacy Concerns, and discomfort and get their breasts screened.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says 1.1 million new cancer cases occur each year in Africa, with about 700,000 deaths.
Breast cancer in recent years has been defined as a lifestyle disease as only 5% of people have a genetic reason to develop cancer.
As such, 80% to 95% of cases do not stem from any genetic reasons but environmental factors such as galamsey, and consuming junk food among others, experts say.
This has sparked great concern among stakeholders in the field of breast screening.
Head of the Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Cape Coast, Dr Kwesi Anyanful who spoke to ATLFMNEWS bemoaned the hesitance on the part of healthy individuals especially the elite in society to get their breasts screened.
He explained that society-driven attention to free breast screening only attracts the illiterates with mostly food vendors, market women and shop owners rushing to get tested.
“And it baffles our mind, why the elite, the educated who have knowledge about breast cancer deliberately refuse to get tested,” he continued.
He said breast screening is for the healthy as such individuals, especially women should rise over their personal preferences, Privacy Concerns, and discomfort and do the needful to safeguard their lives.
Highlighting this, Dr. Ayanful said some women, for fear of another seeing their breast or touching it, especially a touch from a man, and shyness, refuse to get their breasts screened.
He added, “Now machines are used for screening, and we have women professionals who do the screening for you and it’s also done in the darkness, so don’t be shy to screen your breast”.
Dr. Kwesi Ayanful emphasized that no medical doctor desires to cut off breasts but only does so when it is necessary to safeguard the life of the affected person.
He, therefore, encouraged women and men to get their breasts screened as early detection saves lives.
The head of the Department of Chemical Pathology at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Frank Naku Ghartey also expressed the need for breast screening among healthy individuals whom he emphasizes must prioritize the action in their lifetime.
To him, women must know their breasts to enable them to identify any changes that may occur in their breasts and subsequently, get screened.
“No symptoms occur in the early stage of breast cancer, so it is needful to get your breasts screened. Refusing to do so is like one day finding a big packaged substance at the entrance of your door and deciding to ignore it without doing something about it for weeks.”
“Cherish your breasts and get it screened as early detection can save your life without your breast being cut off,” he continued.
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