Set up national cancer control programme

Saturday, October 24, 2009 (The Mirror Pg 25)

By Rebecca Kwei
The Director of the National Centre for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, Dr Joel Yarney, has called for the establishment of a National Cancer Control Programme in the country.
This he said he would help increase cancer awareness and reduce its burden in the country.
“Just as we have the National Malaria Control Programme and for Tuberculosis, we need one for cancer so that cancers in all forms can be taken seriously because it is a major public health problem. Cancer awareness will permeate to the district level and there will be more public education” he told The Mirror in an interview.
Additionally, he said there was also a need for a National Cancer Registry to enable the country collect accurate cancer data that can be used for cancer control and research purposes.
The centre which is located at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital handles all kinds of cancers such as breast, cervix, prostrate, head and neck, bowel, and gynaecological cancers except cancers of the blood.
In 2008, the centre handled 950 new cases of cancers as compared to about 850 in 2007. As of now (October) the cancer cases seen at the centre is 910 and Dr Yarney was sure the figure may get to a 1000 by the end of the year.
He said breast cancer was the leading case that was brought to the centre. In 2008, there were 266 new cases representing 28 per cent of the total number of cancers reported there.
Dr Yarney said a cancer control programme and a cancer registry in the case of breast cancer would also help in institutionalising a screening programme for women who are 40 years and above.
He attributed the increasing number of cancer cases reported at the centre to increase in awareness adding that “a cancer registry will give you an accurate picture of the cancer cases in the whole country. The figures are for this centre only and not a reflection of what is happening in the whole country. Nigeria has a cancer registry and so has Zimbabwe”.
October is breast cancer month and touching on that Dr Yarney said about 65 per cent of patients who reported at the centre with breast cancer cases reported very late when the cancer had reached an advanced stage.
“Most women fear that their breast will be cut and they will die but it is not automatic. Being diagnosed of breast cancer is not a death sentence” he stressed.
Dr Yarney said as soon as a woman feels a lump in her breast, it was important to see a doctor and not attribute it to the work of witches.
He said when breast cancer was detected early it can be cured adding that breast cancer in its early stage presents no symptoms “that is why every woman must make a conscious effort to self examine her breast regularly and if there is anything unusual see a doctor.”
Some risk factors of breast cancer, Dr Yarney said was that if one had a relative who had breast cancer before age 40 or family history of breast cancer, then one has a high risk of developing breast cancer; high fatty food, sedentary lifestyle, early menstruation, late menopause, hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptive which he said was debatable.
He explained that one or several risk factors does not necessarily mean one will develop cancer since some women with breast cancer have no known risk factors other than being a woman.
He said the centre runs a breast cancer screening programme every Tuesday and said any woman can walk in for screening since there was no need for a referral.
The centre also has all modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the treatment of cancers.
According to Dr Yarney, the cost of treatment for cancers at the centre was manageable adding that breast cancer was on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and some of the medication for treatment.