Use mammogram for effective breast screening-Surgeon urges

A General Surgeon at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Josephine Nsaful has advised that for an effective breast cancer screening, a mammogram is needed.

The mammogram, just like an X-ray machine produces a small burst of X-rays that pass through the breast to a detector located on the opposite side.

The detector can be either a photographic film plate, which captures the x-ray image on film, or a solid-state detector, which transmits electronic signals to a computer to form a digital image.

The conventional method is the use of the hands to massage the breast aiming to feel a suspected cancer lump.

“In this country, we talk a lot about screening the breast but we don’t do a proper screening. We have to do screening with the breast to provide an ultrasound,” Dr. Josephine Nsaful said when Meena Breast Cancer Foundation (MBCF) paid a courtesy call on the Breast Cancer Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

According to Dr. Nsaful, the mammogram provides an ultra-sound that can easily detect a suspected lump in the breast.

She praised MBCF for its initiative especially the construction of a Breast Cancer Clinic at Potsin in the Central Region to serve the people in the area.

The MBCF team led by its Executive Director of MBCF, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng made the call on the Unit to discuss how to improve treatment services for patients.

MBCF has been paying the bills of breast cancer patients aside from its year-round sensitization and screening exercises it organizes for communities, schools, and corporate and religious institutions.

The Foundation was established on the vision of Amina Oppong Kwarteng, the late spouse of Mr. Kwarteng.

She died of breast cancer.