Nansamba O. Karema
9 October 2008
Uganda is joining the rest of the world to commemorate October, which is an annual international health campaign month dedicated to breast cancer.
The celebration of this breast cancer month was founded by AstraZeneca, an industry that manufactures Arimidex and Tamoxifen, drugs for breast cancer, in 1985. Their aim has been promoting mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against the disease. Over the years, many people and other companies got involved in a bid to create awareness of breast cancer.
There are a number of programmes that have been put in place to celebrate this month. According to Dr. Josephat Jombwe, a specialist surgeon at Mulago Hospital, much of what is going to be done is creating awareness of the presence and seriousness of breast cancer and clearing the perception that people have towards it.
"Some people think that breast cancer attacks only women, but we have had serious cases of men with breast cancer," he noted.
He says that some people think that if the doctors start treating the cancer and they have to be operated on, it spreads to the whole body. Others fear radiotherapy treatment, claiming that rays will reduce on their life span.
He says that all these superstitions have resulted in the increased rate of late presentations of breast cancer. "Cancer is now the third most serious cancer in women with increased incidence. In 1961, the incidence was 11 per a thousand people. By 1995, it had doubled; 22 per a thousand people," he stated.
The incidence is said to be common between 30-39 years of age, with the youngest ever recorded being nine years. Of all the cases they have handled at Mulago, 80 per cent come when it is too late and the cancer has spread to the whole breast and extended to other parts of the body.
Dr. Jombwe attributes this to lack of knowledge about the disease, poverty, attitude towards it and traditional herbalists who claim to be healers of cancer.
"We will teach people how to self examine themselves for lumps when the cancer has not spread to the whole body, and we will do free breast screening and clinical examination," he says. Some breast cancer organisations, started by breast cancer survivors are also engaged in creating awareness on the same issue.
"We want to encourage women to develop a culture of checking their breasts to detect any changes and report it early. If cancer is detected while in its early stages, it can be healed," emphasised Cecilia Kiconco, one of the founders of the Uganda Women's Cancer Association.
According to Dr. Jombwe, the survival rate of a patient who presents the disease early is 94 per cent, while for late presentation, it is 39 per cent within five years.
Free screening for breast and cervical cancer and availing of information to people has already started in Kampala City Council Clinic in Kawempe. Those found to be having it are referred to Mulago Hospital.
On October 18, breast cancer survivors will have a charity walk from Mulago Hospital to Uganda Railways grounds and their chief walker will be Hon. Dr. Richard Nduhura.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
