Early tests can help prevent breast cancer

A few months ago Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khuphe revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that claims thousands of lives in Zimbabwe and Africa annually. Cancer, which manifests itself in different forms has become very common in African in last few decades with breast cancer being one of the most fatal types especially for African women. Breast cancer is caused by the growth of malignant tumors (cancerous cells) in the milk producing glands of the breast. Overtime these cells can invade nearby healthy breast tissue and make their way into the underarm lymph nodes which work to clean out foreign substances in the body.

While the disease can be detected early and in such cases be treated or even redressed, the expenses related to its treatment, a lack of information and proper medical facilities to manage the disease in Zimbabwe has led to a number of deaths from it.

"There is so much stigma that remains against breast cancer, and that's particularly true in Africa," says Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "A woman who gets breast cancer in Africa is afraid her husband will leave her and that she will be ostracized by society, and even lose her children if she admits she has breast cancer."

While the above are extreme examples of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the disease, even more immediate challenges face Zimbabwean women who usually have no sense of where to go for help or how to begin to fight this disease. Zimbabwe’s medical facilities are so far not adequately equipped to treat most types of cancers forcing those with money to seek treatment in South Africa as has been done by DPM Khuphe and her counterpart in government Vice President John Nkomo who also suffers from another form of cancer.  However for most Zimbabweans, more so women, who are not well resourced enough to seek treatment outside, being diagnosed with the disease is as good as a death sentence.  

There has been a significant rise in breast cancer cases amongst women in developing countries over the last few decades. While the World health organisation states that 30% of cancer cases are curable, close to half a million women died from breast cancer in 2008. As such, Government, health organisations, civic society and individuals have a lot to do when it comes to raising awareness on breast cancer. While a lot of due work has been done to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS related cases, a refocus on some avoidable or manageable diseases must also be made to ensure that no unnecessary resources are spent on cure instead of prevention.

While many believe breast cancer to be hereditary or to run in family genes, researchers have found that only 5-10% of cases are inherited from a mother or father. This means that almost 90% of cases are caused by the “aging process and way of life”[4]. In other words there are certain things one can do in their day to day life to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
Experts recommend that maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, limiting the intake of alcohol, totally cutting out smoking and a healthy diet can all contribute to the reduction of risk of contracting breast cancer. However this does not cancel out the need for regular mammograms which are scans to detect the presence of cancer producing cells in the body. These are better done annually but are very expensive and facilities are out of reach for many women especially in the rural areas.
At the burial of Tongai Moyo, a prominent musician who died of cancer recently, DPM Khuphe revealed that she and the late Moyo had been working on a project to set up a cancer center[5] to help bring awareness to the disease as well as to garner support for cancer patients in Zimbabwe. Considering that many people still do not know about the diseases, this is a welcomed development that would most like boost similar efforts to combat the disease.

It would indeed be noble for government to ensure that mammogram tests are available at all government hospitals and community health facilities at a subsidized cost or free of charge. Campaigns to raise awareness and to get women tested must go beyond just holding workshops in the month of october to ensuring that a nationwide test drive for breast cancer is carried out annually in the same mould as the child vaccination campaign carried out twice annually to reduce child mortality rates. It is thus our hope that the Cancer center, once set up, may be the starting point for wider concentration on the effects of breast cancer and the drive to raise awareness on how to manage or fight the disease.