Have you examined your breast?

  By Bernice Bessey. Every woman is at risk of developing breast cancer, and as result, the President of Breast Care International BCI, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has urged women to have their breasts examined at the hospital, at least, twice every year. She said though the cause of cancer is yet to be established, […]

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By Bernice Bessey.

Every woman is at risk of developing breast cancer, and as result, the President of Breast Care International BCI, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has urged women to have their breasts examined at the hospital, at least, twice every year.

She said though the cause of cancer is yet to be established, there are certain risks factor such as hereditary – a family has a history of cancer; a woman who is nulliparous, who has never had a child, and elderly primigravida – a woman who had her first child after age 33.

Other risk factors include a woman with a long menstrual cycle; a woman with infection in the breasts, and a woman with a history of lumpectomy- thus a lump has been removed from her breast.

The BCI President, however, stressed that education on these risk factors is not to create fear in women, but to encourage them to be aware of the dangers and treatments available, to secure their lives against cancer.

Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai made this statement while educating the Womens Fellowship of the Church of Pentecost, East Legon branch, last week in Accra.

The BCI awareness creation also marked the launch of a one-year partnership with Delta Airlines, to provide the opportunity for women to be educated and clinically screened for the deadly disease.

Since every October has been earmarked for cancer awareness creation, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai urged women to frequently go to the hospital to check their breasts, saying: “Cancer is a curable and survivable disease. We want women to be aware there is a disease called breast cancer, and it is a non-communicable disease, and one of highly treatable diseases, but only when detected early.”

She said the survival rate in Africa is normally low, because patients report to the hospital late.

Nat Pieper, Delta Senior Vice President for Delta, Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the airline was supporting BCI because on all routes it plies in the world, there are women with the issue of breast cancer.

Also, he added that the partnership with BCI was part of Delta’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to give back to society, after operating for 10 years in the country.

The Delta and BCI partnership is expected to expand the breast screening outreach programme to rural communities, where health specialists would reach out to 10,000 who have never had the opportunity of breast screening.

According to Mr. Pieper, Delta supports Breast Care Awareness across the world, and as a result, the airline, through fund raising, together with its employees and customers, since 2005, had raised US$11 million for breast cancer charities.

“Delta is committed to positively impact the communities it serves, and this new partnership with Breast Care International supports early detection of the disease, affording many women the greatest possibility for long term survival,” he stated.

 

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