In a concerted effort to fight the rising incidence of breast cancer and promote early detection, Sonotech Medical and Diagnostic Centre has launched a nationwide Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign as part of activities for the 2024 Millennium Marathon at Independence Square under the theme ‘Its time to rise’.
The campaign aims to educate women, men and families on the importance of regular screening, early diagnosis and effective treatment options.
According to the Global Cancer Report (Globacan 2022), breast cancer ranked second with 11.5 percent of the new recorded cancer cases in both sexes of all ages. It is the most frequent of all new cancer cases among women of all ages, accounting for 23.8 percent. Of the 9,743 832 million lives that succumbed to cancer, 6.8 percent of that number was due to breast cancer.
In Ghana, breast cancer is the commonest diagnosed cancer in women and their second leading cause of cancer death. 70 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Ghana are in advanced stages of the disease – due especially to low awareness, resulting in limited treatment success and high death rate.
The socioeconomic impact of breast cancer on individuals, families, organisations and the entire country is enormous – often with direct negative effect not only for the individual but also their siblings, children and partners.
At Sonotech, we see the urgent need for continuing our efforts to help in breast cancer awareness. This year Sonotech is scaling up the campaign that is aimed at screening over 2,000 people and also educating at least 5,000 by end of October. Over the past 8 years of dedicated and sustained campaigning, Sonotech has invested over GH¢4million in various activities and support for the general public as its contribution to the fight.
Our interventions have not only given people hope, but further provide financial relief to thousands through our subsidised scan services considering the economic burden they face. By allowing them to keep half the cost of investigations, we assist them to keep some reserves for other equally important needs.
The campaign is set to run from 1st to 31st October 2024 at the three branches – Westhills Mall, Oxford Street Mall and Tema Community 9.
Key objectives of this year’s campaign include raising awareness to help women understand signs and symptoms of breast cancer and the importance of regular self-examinations and screenings. There will also be educational outreach – seminars, radio, TV programmes and social media – to disseminate life-saving information about early detection, treatment options and survivorship.
Others are increasing accessibility, which will be done partnering local healthcare centers to provide free breast screening in all our branches; providing heavily subsidised breast ultrasound and mammograms scan services and clinical breast exams to the public; and Empowering Survivors – sharing personal stories from breast cancer survivors to inspire hope and encourage others to seek early treatment.
Together with other partners – The Millennium Marathon, health organisations, Institutions, the media and individuals – we encourage all women to take steps to help lower their risk of developing breast cancer by detecting it early (makes it easier to treat) through screening.
We are embarking on this journey to educate, empower and equip every woman and family in Ghana with the knowledge and resources needed to fight breast cancer. Early detection can make the difference between life and death, and we want every woman to know that this is a fight we can win together.
“So don’t wait, the time to act is now. Remind the women you care about to get screening and come for breast ultrasound and mammogram investigations,” a Sonotech statement added.
