The 10th Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer Conference that had been held from July 24-27,2016 in Addis Ababa. According to Ethiopian Cancer Association (ECA), the conference was organized by Princess NiKky Breast Cancer Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia through the office of First Lady, Forum of First Ladies Against Breast and Cervical Cancer, African Parliamentarians and Health Ministers Against Cancer and other partners.
While addressing the conference, First Lady Roman Tesfaye (who has been elected as chairwoman of African first ladies for the next one year) said the number of cancer cases is increasing with time and it has been challenging Black Lion Hospital which is the main cancer medication and treatment center in Ethiopia.
She said patients travel thousands of kilometers to Black Lion Hospital and most of them have faced problem due to lengthy appointment. According to her, it is gut-wrenching to learn that most of the patients die a head of their referral time to visit doctors and receive treatment in a hospital.
She stressed that the problem being posed by cancer needs special care and attention as the disease has been seriously affecting African women. She said the treatment of cancer is not sufficiently accessible and people do not know the fact that cancer is curable and can be treated with various medication services (people has been a victim of entrenched attitude that victims are counted as ones who have received death penalty).
According to ECA, cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumors and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs (the latter process is referred to as metastasizing. Metastases are the major cause of death from cancer).
The Association said that cancer starts when cells begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to other areas of the body. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too.
The transformation from a normal cell into a tumor cell is a multistage process, typically a progression from a pre-cancerous lesion to malignant tumors. These changes are the result of the interaction between a person's genetic factors and various categories of external agents, including physical carcinogens: such as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation; chemical carcinogens, such as asbestos, components of tobacco smoke, aflatoxin (a food contaminant) and arsenic (drinking water contaminant); and biological carcinogens, such as infections from certain viruses, bacteria or parasites.
WHO states that cancer among the leading causes of mortality worldwide, with approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths every year. It said the number of new cases is expected to rise by about 70% over the next 2 decades. It said more than 60% of world’s total new annual cases occur in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. WHO stated that lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer are among the five most common sites of cancer in men while breast, colorectal, lung, cervix, and stomach are among the five most common sites of cancer in women.
In the case of Ethiopia, non-communicable diseases, including cancer, have received attention as public health issues currently. According to data from Black Lion Hospital oncology unit, more than 500 adult and pediatric cases with hematologic malignancies are seen in the hematology clinics every year. Many patients with cancer are also seen at the surgical, gastrointestinal and gynecology clinics. The most common adult cancers are cervical, breast, sarcomas, head and neck, and colorectal cancers, while leukemia, lymphoma, retinoblastoma and osteosarcoma constitute the bulk of pediatric cancers.
Hospital’s sources stated that due to heavy load of cases, shortage of trained personnel and equipment, Black Lion Hospital is treating only about one percent of cancer patients. Health experts explain that many Ethiopians with cancer never seek medical treatment( and those who do, they may not be referred to the cancer center in Addis Ababa.
Major problems encountering the sector across the country include acute shortage of cancer treatment equipment, limited number of specialists on cancer treatment, inadequate follow up of patients and inadequacy of cancer drugs (whenever available, their prices are unaffordable).
The other problem is that most patients and their families do not properly know that cancer is curable and where to be treated and consequently 80 to 90 percent of cancer patients already suffer from advanced and incurable cancers at the time of diagnosis.
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Physicians are advising that unusual fluid discharges from nipples, lumps in the breasts or armpit, change in shape and size of the breasts, inversion and redness of the nipples and pain in the breasts, inflammation and burning of the nipples, skin dimpling are common symptoms of breast cancer that everybody should know(even though these are not the only ones). The common warning signs and symptoms of cancer include pain, bleeding, visible or palpable lump, changes in organ function, fatigue, susceptibility to infections, weight loss, fever and skin changes. However, it is important to note that having any one of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have cancer(if you experience any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, you may want to consult a physician). Lumps are the most common signs of breast cancer while there are also normal lumps To the present stage of medical science it has not been possible to completely prevent cancer. Yet, through research we know that by making appropriate lifestyle choices, up to one-third of all cancers could be prevented; through early detection and effective treatment, lethal consequences could be avoided; further, pain relief and palliative care would increase the quality of life of cancer patients. |
These days, even though there is no sure way to prevent breast cancer, there are numerous things that can help all women reduce their risks. Doing adequate regular physical exercises, eating low animal fat diets and diets rich in fruits and vegetables, maintaining lean weight, limiting alcohol use and avoiding tobacco use are among the things that can alleviate the problem.
Knowledge about the causes of cancer, and interventions to prevent and manage the disease is extensive. Cancer can be reduced and controlled by implementing evidence-based strategies used to early detect, prevent and manage patients with cancer. Many cancers have a high chance of cure if detected early and treated adequately.
Knowing signs and symptoms of breast cancer is the basic and most important instrument of saving lives because it opens ways for early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Although not all lumps either on the breast itself or in the armpit are cancerous, they should be diagnosed by a physician, whatever is the cause, because lumps on the breast are the major symptoms of breast cancer.
Taking in to account the depth of the problem, the Ministry of Health has created a task force to address the issue of non-communicable diseases. Members of the task force are supporting endeavors that address the control of cancer, including community research, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care. The Ministry has also established a committee to develop cancer control policies in collaboration with staff from Tikur Anbessa.
The Ministry of Health stated that nation is striving in collaboration with stakeholders in the health sector to generate new knowledge, disseminate existing knowledge to facilitate the delivery of evidence-based approaches to cancer; control and develop standards and tools to guide the planning and implementation of interventions for prevention(early detection, treatment and care for cancer).
According to the Ministry, Ethiopia is facilitating broad networks of cancer control partners and experts at global, regional and national level with a view to strengthening health systems at national and local levels and enable them deliver cure and care for cancer patients without costing them a lot and need to go to Addis Ababa.
Nation has targeted to make a difference in the survival of patients with cancer by improving diagnosis, providing training, and improving supportive and palliative care. It believes that, in collaboration with all stakeholders, it can develop comprehensive cancer care program, including cancer registry, early detection, prevention, standard treatment and palliative care.
Prevention is better than cure. Currently nation is implementing prevention-based health policy and it is believed that enhancing awareness about early signs and symptoms is essential (for cancer types such as skin, cervical, breast, colorectal and oral) to get patients diagnosed and treated at early stage. Early diagnosis is particularly relevant when there are no effective screening methods and sufficient screening interventions cannot be implemented in many low-resource settings.