KATH ORGANISES SEMINAR ON BREAST CANCER (PAGE 11)

THE Oncology Department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has organised a seminar for a section of doctors and nurses in the northern sector of the country as a way of building their capacity to enhance early diagnoses of breast cancer and the efficient management of patients suffering from the disease.
The seminar, which was also aimed at equipping the skills of the participants to enable them to provide adequate feedback on breast cancer management in the country, was addressed by breast cancer experts from Ghana and the United States of America (USA).
Topics related to the disease such as its surgical management, Radiotherapy, as well as screening and early detection, were treated among other topics at the two day seminar.
Presenting an overview of the disease , the Head of the Oncology Directorate, of the KATH, Dr Baffour Awuah said, the disease accounts for 24 per cent of reported cancer cases at the department with majority of the patients in their reproductive age.
He pointed out that since the Oncology Department was established, it had been able to treat many patients suffering from the diseases, but said many of the patients reported late, making their management quite difficult.
He pointed out that the ignorance of the general public on the nature of the disease and health care practitioners , poverty , lack of effective screening and early detection facilities in the country, as well as late diagnoses affected the efficient management of the disease.
He also said the use of traditional medicine in treating the disease and delay in the release of pathology reports, compounded the problem.
He said the KATH Oncology Department, in collaboration with other supporting agencies, had been undertaking an outreach programme in churches, and other public places to create the requisite awareness among the public on the nature of the diseases and why it should be reported for early management.
He said the department had also trained rural health staff in breast cancer risk factors and also provided them with skills in screening to enhance early detection and prompt referral of patients health centres for diagnoses and treatment .
Dr Baffour Awuah pointed out that the Oncology Department was not only determined to build the capacity of the participants for them to acquire the requisite skills in managing the disease more efficiently to reduce the mortality rate, but also wanted them to work as a team to enhance effective co-ordination .
This, he said, would enable them to detect early infection and diagnoses of the disease , and refer patients to the appropriate health institution that can manage the disease to bring relief to them.
In his address, the Medical Director of the KATH, Dr Patrick E. Karikari said the time had come for the country to be proactive in breast cancer management to reduce the trauma victims went through.
“As a nation, we are not doing enough so far as breast cancer management is concerned. Health practitioners should be able to collaborate and come out with a mechanism on how to manage breast cancer in a more quicker and efficient manner,” he stressed.
He said it was equally important for them to pool resources to ensure that breast cancer issues were tackled with the zeal it required to make victims live with dignity and a more peaceful lifestyle.
“ We have a lot to do with breast cancer, and with effective collaboration, we can succeed as a nation in managing breast cancer,” he noted.