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Breast Cancer rate on the rise!!!
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Worldwide report indicates that Breast cancer is one of the diseases that is causing alarming mortalities with an estimate of over 2.3 million cases recorded globally in the year 2020 (WHO).
Research has shown that Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among women. Although men also get affected with the disease – it’s estimated that one per cent of cases recorded worldwide (WHO) were reported by males.
It has also been estimated that over 685,000 women died from Breast Cancer in the year 2020 (WHO). Additional statistical report has revealed that, at the end of the year 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago.
While breast cancer rates are higher among women in more developed countries, they have lower mortality rates due to the fact that Breast Cancer cases are detected in the early stages and immediately holistic treatment is given with effective continuity of care even to the involvement of a psychologist (good support system) which is very much key.
However, in low and middle-income countries like Ghana, breast cancer mortality rates are significantly higher though the prevalence is lower as compared to the developed countries.
The reason for the soaring mortalities of breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa specifically Ghana, is partly associated with people’s erroneous beliefs of the disease. Other significant factors such as cost of treatment, accessibility to screening machines, irregular education and publicity of the disease are issues which need to be addressed immediately.
Unfortunately, about 60-70 per cent patients seek for medical attention at the very late stage of the disease where little or nothing can be done for them. Sadly, this is one of the factors that is causing defeat in our quest to reduce deaths amongst breast cancer patients.
Narrowing the discourse to our immediate environment Ghana specifically, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, our main referral centre has the following statistics on Breast Cancer cases.
In the year 2018, 400 new cases were recorded. Out of that, 2.4 per cent were found to be males while the remaining 97.6 per cent were females. Also, out of 2,260 cumulative cases studied over five years, 1,021 people died from the disease.
Isn’t it sad that, just within five years, more than 1,000 souls perished because they probably failed to seek for medical attention at the early stage of their sickness?
Or possibly, they were not self-aware of what was happening to them?
Hitherto, the age group that was mostly affected was between 40 and 49 years.
Surprisingly the age bracket keeps reducing gradually with incidences occurring between 25 and 29 years due to adaptation of the western and sedentary lifestyle.
Breast Cancer as we all know has no known cause but there are risk factors that can precipitate it.
Sex: The fact that one is a female automatically puts you at risk of Breast Cancer because women have more breast tissue than men do, hence the increased risk of getting breast cancer.
Age: Usually women above 45 years are prone to Breast Cancer but now the age bracket is reducing. Now, there are records of Breast Cancer patients between the ages of 25 and 29 as a result of westernisation in terms of diet and sedentary lifestyle
Exposure to Estrogen Hormone: Early menarche (first occurrence of menstruation) latemenopause, nulliparity (when a woman has never given birth to a child, or has never carried a pregnancy) and giving birth after age 30.
All of the above situations cause increased exposure to estrogen hormone which can cause Breast Cancer.
Family History: When one’s aunt, mother, sister, grandmother has had Breast Cancer, it puts one at a risk of getting the disease. However, recent medical investigations posit that, it is when a first-degree family member gets the disease, that can put one at a risk.
Interestingly, it has also been discovered that when any primary male relative, has been diagnosed with even prostate cancer, it can put you at risk of getting Breast Cancer.
Hence, the need to be keen with regular screening, visiting women wellness clinics, and the need to conduct personalise routine breast examination, etc.
Also, increased fatty diet, obesity, alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise; these are but some of the known risk factors that can precipitate Breast Cancer.
Nonetheless, there are many ways to reduce the incidence of an individual getting breast cancer.
Keep your weight in check, by being physically active and undertaking regular exercises.
It’s also important to incorporate fruits and vegetables in your diet.
At risk persons should avoid the following: Alcohol (Zero is Best), forsake smoking, avoid birth control pills, particularly after age 35 or if you smoke. Almost every woman is at risk of getting Breast Cancer hence the need to adopt the best lifestyle as a preventative measure.
Breast feeding is also another sure way to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer as a woman. Hence women are encouraged to breastfeed their infants, especially working-class mothers. There is this notion that breast feeding is old fashioned. Sadly, some women now resort to formula feeding for their infants which they think is fashionable and trendy.
Now, let’s consider Breast Cancer myths. Myths are misbeliefs or false ideas, so breast cancer myths are false beliefs that people have concerning breast cancer. In our Ghanaian society, people have the mindset that breast cancer is a “cursed” disease. The unfortunate belief is that, a person may have offended the gods, hence the repercussion of their actions.
Again, there is a belief of witches “buying” the sickness in the spiritual realm to infect innocent people. Due to this notion, most people seek spiritual help than going for medical treatment.
Hence, 70 per cent of cases recorded at Korle-Bu report at very late stages due to social stigma of this disease leaving little or nothing to be done for the patient except palliative care.
Other myths concerning breast cancer are wearing a brassiere can cause Breast Cancer. The usage of underarm antiperspirant, carrying your cell phone in your brassiere and many others are sheerly make beliefs that are clearly untrue.
In light of these misconception and superstitious beliefs, Breast Cancer awareness creation remains one of the effective ways to educate and screen people against possible Breasts Cancer.
October is the month set aside worldwide for breast cancer awareness celebration termed Pink October. This pink month celebration is catching on well with Ghanaians. The good news is that, many organisations have sprung up the quest to fight this vile disease called Breast Cancer.
One of such is the Ladybits Health and Wellness Foundation which is determined to help build the “Quintessential Woman‚ in our contemporary Ghanaian society. The organisation reaches out to all women found in various endeavours especially the rural and less deprived areas where we educate them on breast cancer with effective screening and diagnosis of the disease.
Our aim is to empower women especially in deprived areas to be in charge of their health and take precautionary measures where necessary. In the end, I reiterate that Breast Cancer is very treatable especially when detected early.
Some aspects of the treatment of Breast Cancer is covered by NHIS. In addition, members of GNAT have access to free medical treatment of all cancer diseases including breast cancer.
Nevertheless, I look forward to a time where the government and for that matter NHIS will absorb the full treatment cost of Breast Cancer so that the screenings that we do in the rural areas will be more impactful and effective
By Dr. Victoria Partey-Newman
The average modern Gold Coaster born and bred in Sikaman is an adventurous creature. Go to any part of the world and you’ll find Ghanaman diligently slugging it out either in the snow or in hot sweltering weather, earning a decent living.
Go to Guinea and see Ghanaman in the garb of a herbalist, curing the sick of various ailments. He makes the Guinean understand that not all diseases are caused by James Lucifer alias Jimmy Satan. On the contrary, most diseases are caused by kooko which can even attack the human nose and turn it upside down.
That kooko is also the cause of poverty and the internal bleeding of personal back-pocket economies. And that kooko can be cured using the chemistry underlying Sikaman herbal medicine which has been blessed by the gods of Larteh.
And before Ghanaman starts dispensing his herbal concoctions, he must attract the passing crowd with some Sıkaman-originated choreography, akin to a combination of adowa and agbadza, such that the dancer can easily dislocate a shoulder and start crying for his mother.
When the crowd is enough to form a quorum, Ghanaman must perform magic as a side-attraction, and proceed to sell his drugs. The drugs are genuinely made from potent herbs which the Pharmacy Board of Sikaman says it has no confidence in. Believe me, Ghanaian herbalists are practising in neighbouring countries like Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Benin, while we are discouraging them from practising in Sikaman.
Go to Las Palmas and see Ghanaman as a fisherman. He sails on Korean-owned boats and is forced to eat garlic and raw tuna for radiant health. The garlic is also supposed to protect him against witches. But sometimes, he is not good bedfellows with some Korean crew members, and once in a while a fight breaks out.
The typical Korean is a Kung Fu expert and before displaying a golden dragon data. He must first terrify Ghanaman with a Korean dance which consists of wild arms and leg throwing. But Ghanaman is usually not daunted. Why has he been eating cancer kenkey all years without developing cancer? It mean is a superhuman capable of countering Kun fu side-kicks to the ribs.
Anyhow Ghanaman’s most potent arsenal lies in his fists. If he is a southpaw, it mean left fist is probably insured and can cause damage. When Ghanaman lands a cassava blow and it lands on a Korean chest, it has the effect of a cruise missile. If there is no ceasefire a funeral cannot be ruled out.
Greenland
Go to Alaska and find Ghanaman there. Greenland, Iceland, Brazil, Argentina, Madagascar, everywhere and you’ll find him. He has become an international citizen and is generally lauded for his hardwork, sincerity and honesty.
However, some bad nuts are also condemned and despised.
The world and all its parts and corners are for the human race, and anyone can choose to live anywhere and earn a decent living so long as he doesn’t misconduct himself or become a social misfit and a law unto himself.
Sıkaman for instance accepts foreigners, and we are so liberal that people just come in through our borders and we welcome them with the best palmwine in town and goat light soup. Who cares about passports and visas? Our hospitality is, as it were legendary.
So we have Liberians, Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans, Togolese, Europeans, Americans, Scandinavians and Koreans in Sikaman. And some of them have misinterpreted our overzealous accommodation to mean “foolishness” and are misconducting themselves.
The newspapers carry stories of some unscrupulous Nigerians stealing, defrauding and collaborating with their Sikaman counterparts to rob people. You’ll find some good and law-abiding Liberians around but some other Liberians are in the business of fraud, robbery, money printing, money doubling, anything criminal.
Ghanaian hospitality can no longer be extended to such people. I do not think Ghanaians will be treated kindly either, when they misbehave anywhere in the world. Those who come from outside with the intention of bringing down their evil deeds and to practise them here professionally must be getting ready because Ghanaians are getting fed up with the menace.
These days, you’ll find strange people following you as soon as you emerge from a bank. If you are not careful, they’ll wrestle your briefcase from you and speed away in a waiting taxi.
Someone was just saying that many foreign criminals are flocking to Ghana because in their countries, they are enable to operate either because they are being looked for by the police for offences committed or fear instant justice at the hands of mobs. Ghanaians, it is said, are humanitarian in dealing with criminals.
Well, in some African countries, a thief who is being chased runs directly to the police station in his own interest and begs the officer at the counter to lock him up. Otherwise he’ll be lynched or be burnt to death. In Ghana, it is the opposite. The thieves run far away from the cop stations.
The criminals must reform and stay peacefully in Sikaman or quit. No court case!
This article was first published on Saturday September 5, 1998
The human condition is defined by two absolute, biological bookends: the commencement of complex cellular animation and its ultimate, irreversible cessation.
For centuries, medicine treated life and death as strictly separate states. Today, modern pathology and molecular biology reveal a more profound truth: the mechanisms that allow us to live are the exact same mechanisms that dictate how we die.
Understanding this relationship is no longer just a philosophical pursuit. It is a clinical necessity for managing public health in the 21st century.
Part I: How we live – The mechanics of animation
At its core, biological life is a continuous, high-stakes battle against entropy (the natural tendency of systems to degrade into disorder). To maintain form, consciousness, and function, the human body relies on three fundamental pillars:
1. Cellular respiration and energy production
Every second of human life is powered by the conversion of oxygen and glucose into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the universal energy currency of our cells. This process occurs within the mitochondria.
Without a constant supply of ATP, the microscopic pumps that maintain electrical gradients across our cell membranes fail, causing cellular collapse within minutes.
2. Homeostasis: The balancing act
To survive, the internal environment of the body must remain incredibly stable, regardless of external chaos. This balancing act, known as homeostasis, regulates:
Blood pH: Strictly maintained between 7.35 and 7.45.
Core Temperature: Ideally kept around 37°C (98.6°F).
Electrolyte Balance: Precise ratios of sodium, potassium, and calcium that allow nerves to fire and muscles to contract.
3. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The ANS acts as the invisible conductor of life, split into two complementary branches:
Part II: How we die – The path of cessation
Death is rarely a singular event; it is a progressive biological cascade. Whether caused by old age, chronic illness, or sudden trauma, the final pathways of mortality generally follow a predictable trajectory.
1. The cellular horizon: Senescence and Apoptosis
Every time a human cell divides, the protective caps at the ends of its chromosomes-telomeres-shorten. Eventually, telomeres become so depleted that the cell can no longer divide safely. It enters senescence (a state of permanent arrest) or triggers apoptosis (programmed cell death). This gradual, systemic loss of cellular renewal is the underlying engine of aging.
2. The clinical cascade of somatic death
When the body can no longer maintain homeostasis, somatic death (the death of the organism as a whole) begins. This occurs in a distinct sequence:
1
Clinical Death
Zero to four minutes
The heart stops pumping blood, and respiration ceases. While breathing and circulation have ended, the body’s tissues still contain residual oxygen and cellular energy reserves. At this stage, resuscitation is often still possible.
2
Brain Death (Infarction)
Four to six minutes
Deprived of fresh oxygenated blood, the brain’s highly sensitive neurons begin to starve. Lacking ATP, the brain cells lose their electrical charge, swell, and begin to burst. Permanent, irreversible neurological damage occurs within minutes.
3
Biological Death
Hours to days
The organs fail entirely. Without central control or blood flow, individual cells throughout the body consume their final energy reserves. Enzymes that once aided digestion begin to break down the body’s own tissues from the inside out, a process known as autolysis.
Part III: The modern collision of life and death
In the modern era, the boundary between how we live and how we die has blurred. Historically, humanity died primarily from infectious diseases and acute trauma. Today, global mortality is dominated by non-communicable, chronic lifestyle diseases.
Modern Pathology: How we live (the cause) how we die (the result)
Cardiovascular disease, chronic stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep keep the sympathetic nervous system hyper-activated, damaging blood vessels .Occlusion of coronary arteries leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack) or ischemic stroke.
Metabolic syndrome over nutrition and physical inactivity overwhelm cellular mitochondria, leading to systemic insulin resistance. Multi-organ failure, chronic kidney disease, and severe vascular complications.
Neurodegenerative Disorders Chronic systemic inflammation and sleep deprivation prevent the brain from clearing metabolic waste. Gradual loss of synaptic connections, leading to dementia and the eventual loss of basic autonomic functions.
Conclusion: The unified theory of health
Ultimately, how we live directly shapes the path of how we die. The micro-choices of daily existence-how we manage emotional stress, the quality of our rest, our communal connections, and our nutrition-either preserve the integrity of our homeostatic systems or accelerate their decline.
True medical advancement is shifting away from merely extending the final, frail stages of biological death. Instead, the focus is turning toward optimising our living years-ensuring that the intricate, beautiful machinery of human animation runs smoothly until its natural, quiet conclusion.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
