My Story Shows Breast Cancer is Beatable – Ondo State First Lady

“Having survived breast cancer for twenty-four years and still counting, there is no better poster child to show that breast cancer can be beaten if we take the right steps at the right time.

“One of such steps is being breast aware, which I strongly believe is the entry point to surviving breast cancer.

“Given my experience, I can confidently say breast cancer is not a death sentence and it should kill no woman.”

These are the words of the wife of Ondo State Governor, Arabirin Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, on Wednesday at the Combined First and Second Quarter Meeting of the National Technical Working Group (TWG) on Cancer Control and Prevention in Nigeria at Rockview Hotel, Wuse II, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.

The Programme was organised by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) to disseminate information on the Cancer Access Partnership (CAP) with emphasis on Introduction of new medicines in the expanded product portfolio, discuss strategies and insights on expanding access to paediatric cancer and improving uptake of anti-cancer medicines, disseminate national training materials and data tools for cervical cancer secondary prevention, introduce innovative cancer medicines demonstration study scheduled for implementation at the National Hospital, Abuja, among other objectives.

Giving tips on how cancer can be controlled and treated in Nigeria, she said, “You will agree with me that it is both intuitively and scientifically correct to assert that early diagnosis of cancer can significantly improve cancer outcomes and patients survival. It will be sensible and cost effective to utilize our existing health care system to create awareness on the common forms of Cancer.

“Therefore, routine opportunistic cancer education should be conducted for persons seeking non-cancer related care at any health facility – both primary and secondary health facilities. BRECAN partnered with Ondo State Ministry of Health to commence the implementation of this initiative in February 2021 and the initiative is currently been implemented in all the State hospitals in Ondo State.

“We have been doing a lot of campaign to educate women and men alike on how to conduct breast self-examination and this has yielded good results. We will however achieve more gain if clinical breast examination are conducted at primary health facilities.”

The First Lady added that there is at least one primary health care facility in each ward in Ondo State, saying, ‘by ensuring that clinical breast examination services are offered at all the primary health centers, up to 80% of target population can be reached since 85% of pregnant women in the state receive ANC at health facilities and up to 74% have institutional delivery, indicating high patronage of the health facilities by women of reproductive age.’

She said,  “Using Ondo state as an example; there is at least one primary health care facility in each ward. If we ensure clinical breast examination services are offered at all the primary health centers, we can be sure we will be covering up to 80% of our target population since 85% of pregnant women in the state receive ANC at health facilities and up to 74% have institutional delivery, indicating high patronage of the health facilities by women of reproductive age.”

Commenting on the efforts the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) has made in combating cancer, Arabirin said BRECAN has, through research, realised that most factors impeding positive cancer outcome are multi-faceted yet integrated.

“In these many years of existence, through research and field experience, we have come to realize that most factors impeding positive cancer outcome (especially breast, cervical and prostate) are multi-faceted yet integrated. It is therefore important to apply a holistic approach to cancer programming.

A study conducted by BRECAN in collaboration with some researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA showed that religious leaders enjoy a high-level influence on breast cancer patients, and they can be a major contributor to delays in presentation.

“At Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), we have a team of survivors called “Team Survivors Nigeria” in many parts of the country and they have been providing psycho-social support to breast cancer patient. I think this technical working group needs to consider this aspect of care. As we deliberate on improving cancer outcome, we must engage religious leaders to ensure they provide only psycho-social support and referral services rather than make attempts to treat.”  she said.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu is the Founder of Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, founded in 1997 after her victorious battle against breast cancer, and twenty-four years afterwards, she has been working to improve breast cancer outcome through awareness creation, advocacy and patient support.