Misinformation about breast cancer treatment costing lives – Dr. Ghazi

Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers among women in Guyana, but according to Dr. Syed Ghazi of the Cancer Institute, misinformation causes late detection and even leads to death.

In a recent appearance on the Starting Point podcast, Dr. Ghazi said while awareness has improved, fear and misinformation still prevent many women from seeking help.

He said that some women avoid screening or treatment because they are told that biopsies or chemotherapy make the cancer spread – a false and dangerous theory.

“When people say chemo-therapy kills normal cells, radiation kills normal cells, that’s not true, they only target the DNA, because cancer is a disease of sick DNA.

“The radiation or chemo-therapy only attack the abnormal DNAs, yes there is a little bit of side effects but that will be recovered after your treatment is over,” Dr. Ghazi said.

He said misinformation is increasing deaths. Currently Guyana has some 650 overall cancer cases.

Dr. Ghazi said in many cases, person do not take up treatment because persons claim to know of herbal remedies and so forth. He said this can worsen the situation because the cancer can develop at a rapid pace, especially if it is neglected.

“Cancer is not something like I told you, [that is] not curable, or a death threat…if you get screened [it] can save your life,” he said.

Misinformation has caused many people to seek treatment elsewhere but the costly treatment and accommodation caused them to return home when it’s too late.

The Government of Guyana aims to establish a hospital focused on cancer treatment which, in Dr. Ghazi’s expert opinion, will greatly improve cancer treatment in Guyana.

“It is going to be a good milestone when we will have maybe not one but multiple institutions trying to treat cancer patients,” he said.

Dr. Ghazi noted that early diagnosis through mammograms, ultrasound, and self-examination greatly increases survival. Warning signs include a lump in the breast, nipple discharge, redness, or skin changes. Obesity, smoking, alcohol, and processed foods raise the risk.

“Have a nice brisk walk early in the morning, a brisk walk at night that [alone] would save you from a lot of diseases,” Dr. Ghazi said.