The first time I ever thought about examining my breasts for breast cancer was in tertiary school when I was in my 20’s. Meanwhile, a close friend of mine at the time had already had her first sugery for breast cancer at age 19. I was shocked when she eventually broke the news to me and encouraged me to go screen at the booth set at the university’s forecourt. All too soon, we are celeberating another annual breast cancer awareness month and the advocacy still has not gotten to the most rural communities yet. Most initiatives are in the capital towns leaving those in the villages behind. Today’s article brings us a step closer to the needs of survivors and why we need to get checked regularly to avoid breast cancer.

Survivors

Around the world, including Ghana, survivors are dealing with a lot of issues like therapy, chemotherapy, cost of medication, and physical defects. For instance, seeing your breast cut off without replacement can affect one’s physical outlook. In effect, this can have a phycological effect on the survivor and make them lose confidence. Other survivors have to deal with employment disruption and financial constraints from the diagnosis. This is because people need sick leave to fully recover while others have to resign in order to survive chemotheraphy.

The Data

According to the World Health Organisation, About 80% of cases occur in women with no specific risk factors other than sex and age. Meanwhile, a small percentage (0.5–1%) occurs in men. Global estimates reveal striking inequities in the breast cancer burden. In low-income countries like Africa, fewer than one in two women (41.9%) were expected to survive at least five years after a breast cancer diagnosis. In contrast, nearly nine in ten women (87.3%) in high-income countries survive at least five years after a diagnosis.

Advocacy

No one is immune from getting breast cancer. This does not mean that we can do nothing about it. Although some survivors easily move on and appreciate life better, most breast cancer survivors suffer social anxiety and lifelong distress. To alleviate society from this situation, there needs to be continuous advocacy beyond the month of October. Specialist hospitals and doctors should take it as thier corporate social responsibility to create awareness especially for low income families in targeted communities and towns.

Call to action

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women globally. It is therefore imperative on us to eradicate it from our lives through healthy living and frequent breast examination for early detection. Breast cancer survivors should come out of their shelves to organise clubs, fundraisers, and soirees to support each other while further raising awareness on the condition.