Ivory Coast (CNRAO) - Risk of death from breast cancer reduced by 25% in four years
Abidjan (CNRAO) - Risk of death from breast cancer in Côte d'Ivoire reduced by 25% in four years of operation
The risk of death from breast cancer in Côte d'Ivoire has been reduced by 25% in four years of operation of the new Oncology and Radiotherapy Medical Centre (CNRAO), reported the Ivorian Press Agency on Thursday, October 06, 2022, in Abidjan, during the launch of Pink October activities, dedicated to the fight against this pandemic.
"The advent of the CNRAO in Côte d'Ivoire has reduced the risk of death from breast cancer by 25% in four and a half years of operation," said Pr Didi-Kouko Coulibaly Judith.
Presenting the quantified results of the impact of radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer at the Centre, Director Coulibaly indicated that from 2010 to 2013, survival was 51.2%. From 2018 to 2022, with the CNRAO, survival increased to 63%, for all patients, whatever the stage and the risk of death was reduced by 25%. From January 25, 2018 to March 31, 2022, 1,179 patients with breast cancer, including three men, were treated at the center.
In oncology, she explained, healing is only declared after ten years of follow-up without recurrence. The sooner screening is carried out for treatment, the better the patient's chances of living longer and even recovering from it.
She urged people to get tested, because, today, one can be cured of this serious disease, when it is discovered early and correctly treated.
Several measures have been taken by Côte d'Ivoire to strengthen the fight against this scourge. In addition to the creation of the CNRAO with an advanced technical platform, facilities for access to care have been introduced, including the possibility of access to loans whilst waiting for care, the access to free medication, in addition to psychological support and socio-aesthetic care.
Early detection of breast cancer through screening is beneficial for moving towards a cure. Thus, the Center is starting this week awareness and screening actions for the disease, across the country.
Throughout the month of October 2022, mammography examinations will take place at the University Hospital of Angré in Abidjan, at a preferential rate of 2000 FCFA instead of 25,000 FCFA.
A representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Côte d'Ivoire, Dr Jean-Marie Vianny Yameogo, welcomed the pooling of actions by the State, the private sector, as well as those of the Center whith satisfactory results in the fight against this pandemic.
According to the WHO, the estimated number of new breast cancers has increased from 1,380,000 in 2019 to 2,200,000 in 2020, making it the most common cancer. More than one in 12 women develop breast cancer. It is the leading cause of death.
Worldwide, in the year 2020, 685,000 women lost their lives to breast cancer, most of them in middle-income countries, he notes.
In Côte d'Ivoire, according to data from the Abidjan Cancer Registry, 3306 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in 2020 with 1785 deaths recorded.
IPA