Establishing Cancer Information Service in Ghana

Abstract

Background: African Cancer Organization (ACO) seeks to establish a Cancer Information Service (CIS) Centre in Accra, Ghana to offer information about cancer prevention to the general public and businesses. The whole idea is to promote awareness of cancer and early detection through culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate cancer information and education programs. The project will navigate people to appropriate facilities for screening, further diagnosis, management and support. This we believe will help prevent people from getting exposed to avoidable cancer risk factors and also help downstage cancers by early-detecting the disease at stages where cure is often possible, which will ultimately help avert the currently prevailing high incidence of cancers in Ghana. Aim: The goal of the project is to ensure that everyone living in Ghana who is eligible has access easy to free cancer information service. The project will establish the needed infrastructure and also build capacity of personnel required to provide cancer information service to the general public and businesses. Methodology: Trained cancer information specialists will provide a one-on-one interaction by telephone, e-mail, instant messaging, social media, in-person visit or on-site business visit. The service will be free and confidential. The project involves setting up an office, distribution of information, education and communication (IEC) materials to educate businesses and the general public about cancer, its prevention, risk factors associated with the disease, sign and symptoms of cancer, cancer diagnosis, treated, management and support systems available. ACO CIS, tailored to the socioeconomic and cultural context, is to ensure that cancer information is available to everyone who is eligible. Conclusion: There is solid evidence that making cancer information available and diagnosing it at an early stage will reduce deaths from cancer, and the success of interventions intended to detect cancer at an early stage greatly depends on cancer education and awareness and sensitivity to the needs, beliefs and unique circumstance of the target population. Although much remains to be learned about cancer, enough is now known about the causes of cancer and means of control for suitable intervention to have a significant impact. Most Africans cannot currently access curative therapies, state-of-the-art surgery or expensive cancer drugs that are the mainstay of cancer care in developed nations. At the same time between 30% and 50% of cancers are preventable, and a third of all cancers could be cured if detected early. Therefore, scaling up prevention and early diagnosis will be the most cost-effective ways of dealing with cancer. ACO is by this looking for partners with similar mandate to collaborate to establish and sustain the CIS.