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Ghanaian Oncologists Want More Focus on Colon Cancer

Stacey Knott

   ACCRA - By the time a patient comes to Dr. Clement Edusa with colon
   cancer, it is often too late.

   The medical director of the Sweden Ghana Medical Center will see cancer
   that has been misdiagnosed and spread, as the patient has sought out
   other treatments, including some from ill-equipped small clinics or
   herbalists.

   Edusa said while Ghana does not see many cases of colon cancer, as
   lifestyles change, he expects to see an increase, and there need to be
   systems in place to provide detection and affordable treatment.

   "Definitely, there is going to be an increase," Edusa said. "But don't
   forget that apart from that, you need to have a structure in place to
   do the screening. So, if you don't have a national program which sort
   of pulls in the people to do the screening, you won't get it early. So,
   you will have an increase in numbers and people coming late, and of
   course, more fatalities."

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