Breast Society of Ghana (BSoG) has urged women to embrace mastectomy in order to reduce the chances of full-blown breast cancer.

President of the organisation, Dr Hannah Ayettey-Anie, explained that the fear of mastectomy – a surgery to remove the breast as a way to treat or prevent breast cancer – is preventing a lot of women with breast concerns from having their breasts checked.

She noted that taking early steps can preserve the breast, advising that when women detect lumps early in their breasts, they should report to the hospital immediately.

‘According to our research, a lot of people with issues do not turn up because of fear of mastectomy but this can be prevented if they come early enough when they notice they may be at risk’, she said.

‘If you don’t come early enough, the situation becomes difficult to salvage’.

According to 2020 figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 deaths globally.

As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.

In Ghana, breast cancer accounts for 31.8 percent of cancer incidence. It is more common to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in African countries.

Contributing factors to this have been identified as poor recognition and appraisal of breast cancer symptoms, fear and denial, sociocultural beliefs, financial and health system impediments, and the absence of screening programmes.

The establishment of WHO’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative follows a steady escalation in the recognition of breast cancer as a public health priority during the last decades.

Photo source: USAID in Africa