Dozens of residents in the Cape Coast Metropolis have participated in a breast cancer awareness health walk to sensitise Ghanaians on the dangers of the disease. Organised by the Breast Screening Services, an organisation made up of lecturers of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS), the walk was also to climax the month-long activities lined up to mark the breast cancer awareness month (October) Amidst brass band music, the walk also brought together a cross-section of students from some second cycle institutions in the metropolis. The participants undertook the 16-kilometre walk from the Siwdu Park through some principal streets of Cape Coast and ended up at the Jubilee (Victoria) Park. Speaking to journalists after the walk, a Senior lecturer at the SMS and a member of the Breast Screening Service, Dr. Akwesi Anyanful, said breast cancer was highly treatable and curable if diagnosed early.As a result, he entreated both men and women to take proactive measures to stay alive to support the development of the country. After the breast screening exercise, which covered both young and adult females, Dr. Anyanful disclosed that 15 women were found to have lumps in their breast. Seven of the cases, he continued, had reached stage three, while the rest were stages one and two respectively. The Senior lecturer observed that stage three of a lump indicated a critical state, whilst stages one and two had higher chances of survival. Nonetheless, Dr. Anyanful added that every stage demands attention and noted that those diagnosed with serious conditions had been referred to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for effective treatment. He advised men to encourage their wives to go for breast screening since early detection and treatment was important to the welfare of women and the society. The Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Mrs. Thywill Kpe,pledged the support of the Department towards combating breast cancer among children of school-going age. She said breast cancer was curable with early detection and called for the concerted efforts by all stakeholders to join forces to campaign against the disease in order to save precious lives. She appealed to women to make themselves available all the time for regular breast screening at reputable health facilities.
