Ghana recorded 8,037 deaths from cancer-related diseases in 2020, Dr. (Mrs) Beatrice Wiafe Addai, the former Chairperson of the Ghana Cancer Board, has disclosed.
Giving the breakdown, the Consultant Surgeon said, out of the figure, 2,055 related to breast cancer, 3,166 to liver cancer, 1,117 to prostate and 1,699 to cervical cancer.
She indicated that, in all, about 24,000 cancer-related cases were diagnosed within the period under review.
Dr. (Mrs) Wiafe Addai, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on the sidelines of the commemoration of the World Cancer Day at Oduom in the Oforikrom Municipality of the Ashanti Region, described cancer as a silent killer.
The four main prevalent cancer-related diseases in the country, she noted, were breast, liver, prostate and cervical cancers, saying early detection of the cancers was critical in preventing them from causing harm to the patient.
She asked Ghanaians to avail themselves of regular screening to identify any anomaly in their bodies that might be related to any of the cancer-related diseases to enhance their wellbeing.
The World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment.
This year’s commemoration was held under the auspices of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) under the theme: “I am and I will.”
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe Addai, who is the President and Founder of Breast Care International (BCI), and also the Chairperson of the Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Alliance, said the country ought to focus on achieving “a cancer-free future.”
“Cancers do not discriminate” the Consultant Surgeon cautioned, saying they would forever remain with us and as such all hands must be on deck in fighting those diseases.
Dr Samuel Amanamah, a Consultant Urologist, hinted that eight out of 10 men visiting the consulting room with prostate-related cases did so when their situation had gotten to the advanced stage.
Consequently, he advised Ghanaian men of 45 years and above to visit the hospital as early as possible to be screened to detect prostate-related diseases in their interest.
