About 16,600 cases of cancer occur annually in Ghana – GHS February 04, 2011

Accra, Feb. 4, GNA – It is estimated that 16,600 cases of cancer occur annually in Ghana, the Cancer Control Division of Ghana Health Service (GHS) said on Friday.

It said this yielded an age-standardised rate of 109.5 cases per 100,000 persons. 

The most frequent cancers in men are cancers of the Liver, Prostate, Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Stomach and large bowel and the most frequent cancers in women are cancers of the Cervix, Breast, Liver, Ovary and Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

This was contained in a statement issued in Accra to commemorate World Cancer Day on Friday, February 4, 2011.

This year’s celebration is on the theme: “Cancer can be Prevented. Let Us All get Involved”.

The GHS expressed appreciation to the Cancer Society of Ghana for leading the World Cancer Day celebrations this year, which in addition to a march by school children through the principal streets of Accra holding placards with cancer messages, included press briefing and a seminar. 

Some health posters on cancers would also be launched.

Since 2005, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) has been launching the “World Cancer Day” on February 4 each year with the aim of bringing the growing cancer crisis to the attention of the public, government leaders and health policymakers worldwide.

The statement said globally, about 12.7 million people were diagnosed with cancer annually and estimated that there would be 16 million new cases annually by 2020. 

Cancer causes seven million deaths annually – or 12.5 per cent of the 58 million deaths worldwide – this being more than the combined total deaths from HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) projects that without immediate action the global number of deaths from cancer would increase by nearly 80 per cent by 2030, with most occurring in low and middle income countries.

The statement said cases seen in Ghana and other West African countries showed that younger people were now being affected compared to the developed world. 

“This may be because we have a younger population than the developed world. Cases are also increasing at an alarming rate and so we need to act urgently,” it added.

The statement said the GHS’ key strategies to prevent and control cancers were prevention, early detection in those who had the disease, screening to detect very early forms of cancers in persons who did not have any symptoms but were at risk of the disease and treatment and palliative care for terminal cases.   

It said the priority of the Government was prevention and according to the WHO, up to 40 per cent of cancers were potentially preventable through healthy lifestyles and vaccination.

The statement said cancer could be prevented through eating a varied and healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical activity, limiting alcohol intake, not starting or stopping tobacco use and avoiding exposure to passive smoke.

Others are protecting oneself against cancer-causing infections such as, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus which cause liver cancer, Helicobacter pylori which is linked to stomach cancer.

According to the statement, the prevalence of several of these risk factors was worsening in Ghana. 

For instance, in Ghana, the proportion of women who were overweight or obese increased from 13 per cent to 30 per cent between 1993 and 2008. 

Less than 10 per cent of Ghanaians eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. low physical activity levels are reported by 27 per cent to 86 per cent of Ghanaian adults.

The statement said a real concern was that most of the patients report very late to health facilities and come with advanced cases when the disease was largely incurable and likely to end up in death. 

It said patients diagnosed with breast cancer at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital waited an average of 10 months with their symptoms before going to the hospital. 

“It is not surprising therefore that the only 25 per cent of patients at Korle Bu with breast cancer survived beyond five years after diagnosis,” it added.

Some reasons that contribute to late reporting are misconceptions and myths such as witchcraft being the cause of the cancer, a fear that surgical intervention would hasten the disease process towards death and a general low awareness of signs and symptoms of the disease. 

Some health facilities also do not have the capacity to diagnose cancers early. 

Early detection of cancer saves life! that is, if a case is detected early, it can be cured completely and the person will be free of cancer for life unlike other diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and even HIV and AIDS which do not have a cure.

Management of the advanced cases is very expensive and they also have poor outcome; but prevention, early detection and treatment of the early stages of cancer is very cost effective and has very good outcome. 

Indeed, the WHO estimates that about 30 per cent of patients will recover completely if detected early by various simple types of screening methods or tests. 

There is also hope for patients who are diagnosed in late stage with various types of treatment which may involve radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, hormonal therapy, or some combination of these.

The statement said the Government in line with its health policy, launched a Regenerative Health and Nutrition Programme five years ago to promote healthy lifestyles and encourage Ghanaians to maintain a healthy physical and social environment. 

Government has recently secured a loan to expand radiotherapy facilities at the Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals and to strengthen prevention and early detection activities. 

In addition, Government is also working to present the Tobacco and the Public Health Bill before Parliament as soon as possible. 

The statement said various non-governmental organisations devoted to cancers or their risk factors had been embarking on various awareness programmes in urban and rural communities.

“We have to continue to educate the public on the early warning signs of various cancers for individuals to report early to health facilities. Women aged 30 years and older should remember to examine their own breasts periodically and report any unusual changes to a health worker,” it added.

“Let us remember we can prevent cancers through simple lifestyle changes and other control measures such as vaccination, regular physical activity, eating healthily, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding tobacco.”

The GHS acknowledge the support of all partners including Civil Society Organisations, NGOs, the Media and all those helping in the fight against cancer in Ghana.