To drive greater awareness around breast cancer and support breast cancer patients in Nigeria and Ghana, Pfizer, along with some professionals, has held a virtual media roundtable to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Metastatic Breast Cancer Day.
The participants stressed that although great progress has been made in the treatment and care of breast cancer, there is still a lot more work to be done. They agreed that this is especially true within underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
Timely access, affordable treatment options and expansion of resources and programmes that address current disparities across age, race, gender, and location can remove barriers that stand in the way of the most vulnerable people with breast cancer.
Medical Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Pfizer, Dr. Kodjo Soroh, said: “Across the region, patients are diagnosed with late or advanced-stage cancer at a higher incidence rate than other regions globally. There is a distinct need for more awareness campaigns to regularly encourage patients to check themselves for breast cancer and better understand the disease. Moreover, over the past decade, improved diagnostics, and newer treatment options for late-stage breast cancer, including those with different gene abnormalities, offer new horizons and hope for these patients.”
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National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre, Ghana, Dr. Hannah Naa Gogwe Ayettey Anie: “Most women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have any signs or symptoms of the disease. However, there are changes in the breast that some women do not notice. Therefore, it is hard to overestimate the importance of conducting self-examination and going for regular check-ups.
“While each case is unique, age, certain genetic mutations (like BRCA1 and BRCA2), getting periods before age 12 or starting menopause after age 55, having dense breasts, and family history are all known risk factors. With better awareness, prevention, treatment, and access to diagnostics, early detection could save between 2.4 and 3.7 million lives each year globally. ”
Prof. Ifeoma Joy Okoye of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, added: “It is crucial for patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or even metastatic breast cancer to have the right information and expectations. It is our duty to encourage them to have open conversations with their healthcare teams to understand how they can be supported but also how they can participate in their own care – taking an active role in their treatment can help them feel empowered in making the best decisions for themselves.”