Cancer Society of Cancer organises march for cancer awareness

The Cancer Society of Ghana (CSG) on Saturday organised a march to create awareness of persons suffering from cancer as part of activities to mark World Cancer Day.

The march witnessed 700 school students from the Ashiedu Keteke Sub Metro area from the grounds of James Town along the Accra High Street to the National Hockey Stadium in Accra.

Reverend Father Victor Sackey, Executive Secretary of CSG said the march was an annual programme to sensitise the public on the dangers and prevention of cancer.

He said child cancer is becoming an increasing health concern in Ghana as child mortality rates from infectious diseases and malaria have reduced.

He said the programme is on the theme: ‘Together We can Overcome Cancer’.

Rev Sackey said the society would organise a seminar for the media to brief them about cancer resurgence and the expensive treatment of the disease in the country.

He said the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is one of two tertiary hospitals in Ghana which diagnose at best only 200 cases a year and stated that more than  75 per cent of children with cancer remain undiagnosed and untreated.

Rev Sackey said the condition of children should be a concern for all and appealed to individuals and corporate bodies to help financially in the treatment of child cancer.

He appealed to government to intervene in the process of cancer treatment since the disease is ascending.

Professor Joe Nat Clegg-Lamptey, Head of Department of Surgery, KBTH who spoke on Breast Cancer said in Ghana the disease had been predominant in women.

He said KBTH alone saw about 248 breast cancer cases at its Surgical Out Patient Department in 2011 and of which most cases had reached advanced stages and therefore the hospital could do very little about it.

He noted that unlike previous years the pattern of the age group of breast cancer which used to be diagnosed among women between 40 to 49 years, now relatively young women between 20 to 24 years are presenting advanced stages of the disease which is very alarming.

Source: GNA