The National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has raised concerns over the lack of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Machine in the country, which is effective in the detection of cancer.
The centre bemoans that unlike Nigeria, and other African countries which are equipped with a PET Machine, the lack of the equipment in Ghana drives patients to seek medical attention outside of the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of a public engagement on Prostrate Cancer organised by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), the Ghana Society for Medical Physics and the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC), Director of the National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre at the KBTH, Prof Joel Yarney stressed on the need to procure a PET Machine to improve on healthcare delivery in the country.
“In this day and age, there’s a machine we call a PET Machine. It has superior results in determining where the cancer is. We have the conventional MRI and CT scans but in comparison to the PET Machine in determining the extent of cancer, the PET machine is superior. Unfortunately, Ghana does not have one.
Countries similar to ours, like Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa, have these machines. Sometimes patients who can afford it go to these countries to get it done. It improves the quality of our care.”
He further entreated the public to prioritise their health and undertake frequent checkups on their prostate, for early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.
This call comes amidst a rise in recorded cases of prostate cancer, a concern he says can be controlled from worsening, if individuals could undertake routine medical screening.
Prof Yarney asserted that cancer is a non-communicable disease which barely shows symptoms and, therefore, early detection can help prevent unforeseen circumstances.
“Prostate cancer incidence is on the rise. The main reason is that for cancer in general, the chances of developing it increase with age and our life expectancy as a country is increasing. So as the population ages, the chances of developing cancer in general, including prostate cancer, increase.
“Cancers don’t have symptoms. So, our concentration should not be on symptoms. The earlier you present it, the higher the chances of a cure and therefore, we want patients to present it at the time when they don’t have symptoms and that can be done only through screening. So, we want people to go for this screening test on time,” he stated.
Dr Eric Desmond Kotei Addison, Head of Medical Physics at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and president of the Ghana Society for Medical Physics, demystified the fears associated with the use of radiation in managing cancer.
According to Dr Addison, the use of radiation in detecting cancer within the body is less harmful.
“One of the treatments is where radiation comes in. Surgery is one option for management, or chemotherapy or radiotherapy. With radiotherapy, we use radiation to treat the patient, and our target is the prostate. So, people are worried about radiation.
“If somebody goes for a chest x-ray, it is very low compared to what you get in your natural background radiation for a year. If somebody goes for a pelvic x-ray, you get the same dose over two or three years of background radiation. So, you shouldn’t be worried about the diagnostic energy radiation level. They are quite low.”
Prof Francis Hasford, Director of the Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute (RAMSRI) called on stakeholders to support the mandate of GAEC, to carry out prostate cancer awareness.
“It’s an activity that is a bit involving logistically, financially. So GAEC on its own has resource personnel and staff, researchers in the field. But when it comes to funding, it’s a challenge and so we are extending to all other corporate organisations and relevant bodies that are interested in pushing forward this idea of letting the public know about cancer and the fact that it is killing lots of people.
“If you put the whole country together, in the year, we have almost about 30,000 people being diagnosed with cancers and out of this many of them are dying and it’s because we don’t have enough capacity to deal with it. So, we call on all institutions to come on board to help us, logistically, financially so that we can carry this message forward and support our people suffering from this condition, especially the men who are developing prostate cancer,” Prof Hasford stated.
