Sonotech Medical Diagnosis, in collaboration with the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Redemption Congregation, Tema Community Nine, has held a free breast cancer screening for members of the church.
The screening was preceded by a health talk encouraging self-examination and screening for early detection and intervention.
Mr. Emmanuel Atiemo, the Chairman of the Development and Social Services (DSS) Committee of the PCG-Redemption Congregation, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the screening was part of improving the health and well-being of church members.
Mr. Atiemo added that the church does not only value the spiritual wellness of the members but also the health aspect in accordance with scriptures that emphasise the prayer for believers to prosper and enjoy good health even as their souls also prosper.
He stated that one way of ensuring the health of the members was to promote preventive measures such as regular screening and early detection for diseases such as breast cancer.
Dr. Vanessa Larbi, a Medical Doctor at SonoTech-Tema, stated that the screening was part of her outfit’s activities to observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is celebrated globally in October annually.
Dr. Larbi said they are passionate about the awareness because early detection saves lives, revealing that globally, breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer among women, and annually, over 4,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed among Ghanaian women.
She added that most of those diagnosed reported to the hospital in the late stages of the cancer, which meant that by the time they got to the hospitals, the cancer had spread around the body, and there was very little that could be done to save their lives.
“Once breast cancer is detected early, there is a 99 percent chance of survival, but over 70 percent of the people present at the last stage of the disease. That’s why we are losing a lot of women to breast cancer,” she emphasised.
She explained that breast cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the breast area, adding that both men and women could get breast cancer, adding, however, that women were more at risk due to the number of breast tissues they have.
She said some risk factors include having a first-degree relative, age, estrogen exposure due to early menses and late menopause, as the breast tissues have been exposed more to hormones, women on hormone replacement therapy, alcohol use, smoking, and others.
She said some signs of breast cancer include lumps in the breast and armpits, breast skin changes such as dimpling, wrinkling, and soreness, changes in the nipple, and orange skin around the breast, among others.
