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Pink month here again, let’s join fight against breast cancer
Mrs Kumah-Dzagah (Supporting picture)
Breast Cancer continues to claim the lives of both young and older persons, especially women.
But even among those that survive the disease, they continue to live with the fear of the cancer recurring.
It is a relentless adversary; claiming lives and shattering families.
The severity of the disease does not only lie in its physiological impact but also in the emotional and social turmoil it instigates.
Beyond the physical pain, the emotional torture on patients and their loved ones is profound.
Breast Cancer has become the number one killer disease among women with more than 4,650 diagnoses and over 2,000 deaths annually in Ghana.
Globally, it is estimated that about 2.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer, claiming 685,000 deaths.
At the end of 2020, 7.8 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer among women.
In a global effort to raise awareness on breast cancer, October has been designated as a Pink Month.
The Pink Month is set aside to educate both women and men about the disease, including early identification as well as signs and symptoms associated with it.
This year’s celebration is under the theme ‘Join the fight’ aiming a call on genders of all ages to be involved in the fight against the deadly disease.
A breast cancer survivor Georgina Setorwu Kumah-Dzagah, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2018 at the age of 31.
She first felt a sharp pain in her right breast in October 2017 which she ignored for weeks until she detected something unusual in the same breast.
Sharing her experiences of the killer disease with The Spectator in Accra on Monday, Mrs Kumah-Dzagah narrated how she consulted a General Physician after she had attempted treating herself for three months; a period within which a lump she discovered grew bigger and became more painful.
“I was not convinced when the first doctor I consulted told me the lump was just some fatty tissues. This was after he had conducted a Clinical Breast Examination and Breast Ultrasound Scan on me. In my despair, I sought a second, third and fourth opinion.
“My real nightmare was when the fourth doctor requested for a complementary breast ultrasound scan and mammogram and two biopsies.
Her first biopsy was benign but the doctor insisted on a second opinion which eventually confirmed my diagnosis in 2018.
Mrs Kumah-Dzagah’s initial diagnosis was a Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ (DCIS), a non-invasive type of breast cancer.
A non-invasive breast cancer is when the cells that line the ducts changes to cancer cells but have not spread through the walls of the duct into the nearby tissue.
But after the surgery, the diagnosis changed to 95 per cent DCIS, five per cent Colloid Carcinoma.
Colloid Carcinoma is rare form of invasive ductal cancer characterised by large amount of mucous deposition.
“My breast cancer diagnosis was much unexpected. I grieved for days. The disease did not only invade my body, it interrupted my life by bringing it to an abrupt standstill.
TREATMENT
Treatment for the disease is another long tortuous journey. “I had two surgeries, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy.”
Mrs Kumah-Dzagah told The Spectator she had her first surgery – a wide local excision plus axillary clearance – a week after the diagnosis.
In that process, 14 lymph nodes were removed. Luckily, she had one of her breast conserved.
“My treatment continued with six ‘gruesome cycles’ of chemotherapy, the total removal of my affected breast (mastectomy), three weeks of radiotherapy and an added 10 years of hormonal therapy plan,” she said.
The hormonal therapy is a daily hormone suppresser pill she had to take for 10 years.
She stated that the side effects of the medication which were menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, fatigue, forgetfulness and confusion had compromised the quality of her life but said “I will rather live with all these side effects than to have the cancer return.”
It has been six years since Mrs Kumah-Dzagah detected the breast cancer lump that almost killed her and four years since she completed her active treatment.
LIFE AFTER CANCER
She admitted that breast cancer changed the course and focus of her life, saying that her perception about life had changed and that some things that were important to her were no longer so.
“I was an active and busy person, but I have slowed down, especially during my chemotherapy and after the surgeries. I had to depend on others for assistance which was not my attitude.
“I always wanted to be the survivor so I sought for and looked up to what I did not find during my treatment. I prayed and fought to survive so I could be a beacon of hope to others,” she added.
Mrs Kumah-Dzagah had therefore committed her life to helping others win their fights against breast cancer through advocacy and sharing her breast cancer story.
I hope by advocating and sharing my story with other breast cancer patients and survivors, they will be inspired and realised that it was possible to regain their lives and be stronger, healthier and happier after diagnosis and treatment.
Mrs Kumah-Dzagah called for a concerted effort from all stakeholders including non-governmental organisations, religious bodies, philanthropists and governments in the fight against breast cancer.
She also called for support for breast cancer patients especially with payment for chemotherapy and dialysis.
SYMPTOMS
Different women have different symptoms of breast cancer while some do not have any signs or symptoms at all.
Some of the symptoms include new lump in the breast or underarm (armpit), thickening or swelling of part of the breast, irritation or dimpling of breast skin, redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast, pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
Other symptoms are nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood, any change in the size or the shape of the breast, pain in any area of the breast.
RISK FACTORS
Studies have shown that one’s risk for breast cancer was due to a combination of factors.
The main factors that could influence a person’s risk include being a woman, getting older, reproductive history, having dense breast, personal history of breast cancer or certain non-cancerous breast diseases, family history of breast or ovarian cancer, previous treatment using radiation therapy.
DIAGNOSIS
Mammograms are commonly used to screen for breast cancer. If an abnormality is detected on a screening mammogram, the doctor may recommend a diagnostic mammogram to further evaluate that abnormality. Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of structures deep within the body.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatisnu
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
