7th June, 2024
By Jethro Ibileke
A Professor of Radiology at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Adenike Olayemi Akhigbe, has bemoaned the low level of awareness on the scourge of breast cancer among Nigerian women.
Akhigbe who delivered the 312th Inaugural Lecture of the University titled “Seeing the Unseen: Medical Imaging to the Rescue”, of the University on Thursday, raised the alarm on the embarrassingly-low level of awareness of the ailment even among health workers.
She said late presentation and very poor knowledge about the risk factors for breast cancer have been observed to be the hallmark of breast cancer in Nigeria.
The radiologist who stressed the urgent need for a robust awareness campaign to tackle breat cancer ailments, noted that Africa was far behind developed countries, who have established national screening programmes for breast cancer, which she said has resulted in reduction in cases of breast cancer mortality.
According to her, “Late presentation of breast cancer in Nigeria has been linked to poverty, ignorance, poor access to care and under-education, among other possible causes, but health beliefs and cancer fatalism has been found to influence participation in breast cancer screening programme in other studies.
“The effects of health beliefs fatalism on the practice of breast cancer screening was accessed among 225 women between the age of 30 and 60 years, using Champions Health Belief Model Scale and Powe Cancer Fatalism Scale.
“We found that a higher percentage of the women do not perform Breast Self-Examination (BSE) regularly and majority of the women have never had mammography done.
“The study showed significant barriers from the health belief model and high level of breast cancer fatalism that impact negatively on the practice of the two main screening methods, BSE and mammography.
“There is a need for us to understand the psychological and psychosocial barriers that deter Nigerian women from having breast cancer awareness as well as routine screening.
“Such information can be useful in putting together culturally relevant awareness literature and media content that address these barriers.”
In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Lilian Salami, who was represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adesina Ayinde, described the topic as vsry apt, as it aims to advance the field of medical imaging while prioritizing patient’s care and safety.