African Cancer Organisation Celebrates 2020 World Cancer Day

A feature By: Paul Opoku Agyemang

Accra, Feb. 4, GNA - Today is World Cancer Day. On every February 4, the world comes together to raise the profile of cancer in a positive and inspiring way.

Spearheaded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the day aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and improving education about the disease, while calling for action from governments and individuals across the world.

World Cancer Day 2020 will, therefore, mobilise urgent action from individuals, businesses, governments, and the global cancer community to close the clear and unacceptable gaps in cancer risk awareness between higher and lower socioeconomic groups, and the subsequent impact on their health-promoting behaviours.

Talk of action, the African Cancer Organisation (ACO) has initiated its Cancer Information Service in Accra to provide cancer resources for more Ghanaians to prevent cancers. It is estimated that between 30% and 50% of cancers are preventable, and one-third of all cancers are curable.

Consequently, making cancer information available to the public will greatly reduce avoidable deaths from cancer.

For example, cervical cancer is 100% preventable. The cause of cervical cancer is known, thus women could screen to detect years before abnormal cervical cell develops into cancer. Even among those developing the disease, cervical cancer could be detected early, treated and cured and for patients to live cancer-free. High-risk older women who are eligible could have their cervix or entire uterus removed to avoid the disease.

Young girls could also be vaccinated so that when they get exposed to the HPV virus, which is the major cause of cervical cancer, they will not be infected.

Sadly, with all these windows of opportunities to prevent or cure cervical cancer, it is the leading cause of female-related cancer deaths here in Ghana and the rest of Africa. Therefore, scaling-up cancer education among women to avoid the early onset of sexual activity and multiple-partner-relationships will greatly help women to prevent getting exposed to the HPV, which spreads mainly through sexual activity.  Again, eligible girls between the ages of 9 and 12 years could be vaccinated before they become sexually active.

Indeed, this same HPV which causes cervical cancer is linked to about 90% anal cancers, and a host of various other cancers including the vulva, vagina, penis and some oral cavity cancers. Thus, boys could also be vaccinated too to prevent some of these cancers in the future and to also limit the spread of the virus.

More so, women who may feel pains during and/or after sex, tend to have offensive vaginal discharges, see unusual blood after sex or during menopause should promptly seek medical attention as these could also be signs and symptoms of cervical cancer.

To offer a lifeline to the afflicted, the African Cancer Organisation (ACO) has established the Accra Cancer Information Service Centre to provide complete, accurate and up-to-date cancer prevention information and outreach missions.

Their core mission is to help people learn about cancer prevention, causes, risk factors, signs, symptoms, screening and other means to avert the currently prevailing high incidence of cancers in Ghana.

The Accra Cancer Information Service also offers cancer prevention training for institutions, businesses and the public.

The writer is the Executive Director of African Cancer Organisation

Email: [email protected], Web:www.su2ca.org,#africancancer

GNA

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