Self breast examination, inadequate in cancer detection

By Sade Oguntola

From left, Dr. Adeniyi Adenipekun,
Mr. Collins Okoror, the commandant,
University College Hospital student
detachment of Red Cross Society and
Dr. (Mrs.) Jane Adebusuyi, chairman,
Red Cross Society, Oyo State, during the
commissioning of the map of University
College Hospital billboard constructed by the
UCH student detachment of Red Cross Society
recently.AN expert in cancer treatment, Professor Edward Attah, had said that people should not rely strictly on self-breast examination for early detection of breast cancer.

Prof. Attah, a professor of pathology from the university of Uyo, said this at a symposium with the theme, Cancers of the Reproductive System: Research and Training Needs for Prevention and Care in Nigeria” to mark the 70th birthday of Prof. Jide Ajayi recently at Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.

According to him, “self examination of the breast alone has nowhere been demonstrated to have an adequate impact on early detection of breast cancer. The value of mammography is not disputed in ensuring this anywhere in the world. In Nigeria, there is a peculiar situation in which the mammography is very little used. The medical profession has to redress this.”

Prof. Attah said with the rather high number of people with the cancer and new 14,000 new cases added yearly in Nigeria, there must be a special programme to ensure the prevention, early detection and treatment of the cancer.

Given that cancers are seen in all regions of the country, he said the capacity to diagnose and treat it ought to be developed in all regions so as to reach the pool of people that needs it.

“To make a definable gains, it is necessary to improve the available capacity in surgical and pathological diagnosis of this cancer through practical training courses on the use of mammography and the performance of core biopsies, “ he declared.

While urging health professionals to lead in creating awareness on breast cancer and the need for its early detection in the population, the expert stressed that women need to know that even when such is detected, they may not need to loss their breast if they are diagnosed early.

Abortion, not a method of fertility regulation

PREGNANCY should not be by accident or an unexpected experience if it is well planned, but the problem in this country is that many people don’t plan their pregnancy. Even among the elites, this is one of the reasons such people often think of abortion. This is giving Nigeria a bad name as a country with one of the highest cases of abortion globally.

Professor Isaac Adewole made this observation while speaking with Tribune Health recently. According to the obstetrics and gynaecology expert, though fertility rates are declining as modernisation is increasing, nonetheless, Nigeria is still one of the poorest nations in the world and has the largest population in sub-Sahara Africa with high rate of death and complications from abortion.

Abortion, he said is always considered as the next option when a woman gets pregnant and when such a woman is not prepared for the pregnancy.

Pregnancy will also be considered as unwanted or untimely if it is not planned either by a woman or by a couple, whereas it is not suppose to be like that.

“Pregnancy should not be an accident if it is well planned. But it becomes an accident when a man and woman makes love without protecting themselves and at the same time they don’t need a baby at the particular period. It is an accident if a woman is raped and do not seek caution or treatment.

“Pregnancy also becomes an accident or unwanted if a married woman do not protect herself with pregnancy preventing pills, it is an accident when an underage engage in premature sex without even protecting herself,” he emphasised.

Speaking further, the don explained that women should realise the fact that abortion is not and never a method of fertility regulation as some women are made to believe, adding that such a belief is very wrong and unhealthy.

He further stated that many women are experiencing unwanted and mistimed pregnancies, with consequences ranging from interruption of schooling to health risks and economic hardship, all of which he said hinder efforts to improve their socio-economic status.

NGO spends N1.2b on the health of Nigerian women

The President of Ipas, Ms Liz Maguire, said the organisation had spent N1.2 billion in promoting the reproductive health and rights of women in Nigeria in the past five years. Ipas, a global organisation with headquarters in North Carolina, U.S., is an NGO dedicated to the promotion of women’s sexual reproductive health and rights.

Maguire, who was in Nigeria on an official visit said in Abuja that Ipas was already working in 17 states and had plans to expand its operations in the future.

She said that Nigeria would remain Ipas priority considering its size and importance in Africa. “In Nigeria, we support the training of service providers in deliveries and post abortion care. We also provide education to women to enable them get the much needed information,” she said.

“We are really impressed with the response of Nigerian women and men too in accessing abortion-related care in states that are considered to be high risk in terms of maternal mortality,” she said.

On whether the Gag Rule would form a campaign issue, Maguire said that the rule was not a central focus yet, adding that the organisation intended to form an alliance to push for its deletion when the real contest begins between the Republicans and Democrats.

The Global Gag Rule was re-introduced in 2001 by President George Bush and seeks to limit funding to organisations that work in the area of unsafe abortion.

Meanwhile, the Country Director of Ipas, Dr Ejike Oji, has said that if family planning interventions had been available, women who had access to information would be able to make informed choices even before they were pregnant.

“We are convinced that if interventions are available we will be able to save many of these women. Expunging the Gag Rule will provide additional funding for relevant bodies to work in the area of making the lives of our women safer,” he said.