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By Edward Graham
A medical doctor at the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority Clinic, Dr. Hannah-Lisa Tetteh, charges parents to pay attention to their female children’s breast as soon as they begin menstruating.
This is necessary because according to her, it have found that girls who start menstruation unusually early are at a high risk of getting the breast cancer disease.
She made the disclosure when Hope in Black Foundation, a breast cancer awareness advocacy group engaged women in breast screaming at Tema Community Nine, as part of activities to round up the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Dr. Tetteh, disclosed that though the very causes of cancers including breast is yet to be unraveled, studies reveal that girls who commence menstruation before age twelve are at a higher risk of getting the cancer, hence the need for parents to send such girls for regular checkups for early detection and treatment.
The medical doctor also asked men to prioritise the health of their wives over having breast, as most men turn to disapprove of surgery on their wives’ breasts when diagnosed of cancer just because of losing the breast. This, she added prevents the women from undergoing surgery and end up unnecessarily losing their lives. “We beg our men, it is good to have a living wife without breast rather having breast and dieing eventually, so kindly help us to live for you” she advised.
The medical doctor used the occasion to advise against stigmatising persons diagnosed of breast cancer since everyone including men can get it
The Founder of Hope in Black Foundation, Adjoa Adofowaa Osei popularly know as Adjoa Black, a survival who had multiple lumps in both breasts when she was at SHS One also reiterated the call on government to subsidise breast cancer related treatments to encourage those who are reluctant to seek attention for fear of inability to bear the cost involved.
Alternatively she called for a dedicated centre where women will not hesitate to call at for screening and treatment at affodable costs. “We are not calling for absolute free neither are we saying the government shouldn’t do it free if it can, but we just want to want every breast cancer patient to be able to seek treatment to prevent lives lost to the ailment” she emphasised.
The issue of breast cancer has become an important topic because studies reveal that one in every eight females is diagnosed of the disease whilst one in thousand men also risk getting the it. This therefore calls for collaboratively extensive education to minimise the risk factors, and advocate for measures to save lives from the killer disease.
