The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pfizer Pharmaceutical celebrated it in a unique way.
In a virtual media roundtable (a zoom webinar) on breast cancer, experts from across West Africa’s leading health facilities. Topic? Breast Cancer Media Roundtable in Nigeria/Ghana.
The virtual roundtable was moderated by Dr Kodjo Soroh, Pfizer Pharmaceutical Executive for Western and Central Africa regions.
Dr. Kodjo Soroh set the discussion rolling when he asked the question, ‘How Can We Empower and Support Patients against Breast Cancer in Nigeria and Ghana?’.
According to a GLOBOCOM study, Breast Cancer is the commonest cancer in Nigeria and Ghana. The data shows that there is 22% in number of new cases in Nigeria and 18.7% of new cases in Ghana for breast cancer in 2020.
The webinar is to trigger a deeper discussion of care for breast cancer patients.
The first Guest Speakers was Dr. Hannah Naa Gogwe Ayettey Anie – Senior Specialist Radiation/Clinical Oncologist, National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Center.
Dr. Hannah spoke on the topic – “Burden of Breast Cancer in Sub-saharan Africa”.
The picture painted by Dr Hannah is worrisome and disturbing – conceding that the burden of the disease is fast on the rise and more so in Sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, the burden of breast cancer is estimated at 19.3million new cases of cancer and 10million cancer deaths occured in 2020.
The importance of Breast Self Examination was stressed and it was noted that the partner of every woman have a big role in early detection and consequent prevention of spread to the metastatic stages of the disease.
Second Guest Speaker is the renowned Professor of Radiology at the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Nigeria.
She spoke on the topic – “Importance of Raising Awareness about the Disease and the Support needed to improve the life of those living with breast cancer especially those with metastatics disease”.
Prof Okoye broke down the far-reaching ‘Power of One’ principle in the management of Breast Cancer – where One person is able to affect one client, preventing that one lump from spreading to one breast and to ultimately overtaking one body, one community and one world.
Educating and empowering agents-of-change, especially women and the girl-child majority of whom are concentrated in causal, low-skilled, low paid informal sectors of the economy, would help reduce those factors that stunts the gowth records being recorded. Cancer awareness clubs
Mobile Van Mammography service have provided a practical option in the management of Breast Cancer in Enugu State Nigeria. It is a brain child of Prof Okoye and has shown remarkable strides as an effective tool for early detection.
