By Hannah Dadzie
GBCNEWS continues its series on the Pink October Month and in today’s feature, Hannah Dadzie examines the myths and misconceptions about diseases, particularly, Breast Cancer. Indeed, breast cancer has left many in total despair, fear and rejection by society and sometimes family members because of the enormous time required for treatment. There is no doubt that sufferers need adequate funds to handle this debilitating sickness, that some have blamed on unnatural causes and superstitious beliefs. Is there hope?
When Akua first felt a lump in her breast, she did what many young Ghanaian women would do, she ignored it.
“I had just finished my menses and was doing a routine check. I felt something in my left breast and went to my mum. She told me to apply pomade, that it would go.” she recalled it didn’t.
For six months, the lump grew. When Akua later confided in her boyfriend, the advice shifted, not toward a hospital, but toward herbal treatment. Friends echoed the same reassurance, it was nothing serious amd she listened. By the time fear finally pushed her to seek medical care, the disease had progressed.
Akua, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, is a breast cancer survivor. Her story reflects a wider pattern in Ghana, where myths, superstition, and misinformation continue to delay early diagnosis and treatment, often with devastating consequences.
As Ghana marked Pink October, the global breast cancer awareness month, survivors, health experts, and advocates warned that awareness alone is not enough. Without confronting deeply rooted beliefs surrounding the disease, many women will continue to arrive at hospitals too late.
Late Diagnosis, Lingering Myths
Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers among women worldwide, and Ghana is no exception. Yet early detection, which significantly improves survival rates, remains elusive for many.
According to survivors and medical professionals, fear and misinformation often drive women away from hospitals. Breast cancer is frequently viewed as a spiritual attack, a curse, or a punishment, beliefs that send patients first to prayer camps, herbalists, or spiritual healers instead of health facilities.
Akua’s experience mirrors that reality.
“They told me the medicine would make it melt. Instead, it became bigger, and I became afraid.” She said
Her fear is shared by many women who delay diagnosis until symptoms become severe.
A Survivor’s Second Chance
Vivian Gyasi Sarfo understands that fear intimately.
Now President of the Peace and Love Survivors Association (PALSA), Mrs. Sarfo was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago at age 47, long before awareness campaigns became widespread.
“I had a lump, but I didn’t know what it meant. I was going to different hospitals, losing weight, feeling unwell, and nobody told me it was breast cancer.”She said
It was only after persistent pain that she sought screening at the Peace and Love Hospital, where doctors detected early-stage breast cancer. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
“By the grace of God, I am fit,” she said.
Unlike many women, Mrs. Sarfo had support. Her family stood by her through hair loss, skin changes, and months of treatment. Others, she noted, are not so fortunate.
“Some women are rejected by friends, husbands, even family members after diagnosis. That pain is sometimes worse than the disease itself.” She said
Hereditary Myths and Medical Facts
One of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding breast cancer is that only women with a family history are at risk. Mrs. Sarfo herself once believed this, until three women in her family, including her sister and cousin, were diagnosed.
“I am the third.Family history increases risk, but it does not mean others are safe.”She stated
This misconception is one that medical experts are working hard to correct. President of Breast Care International, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai stressed that every woman is at risk.
“People think breast cancer is caused by witchcraft or is a spiritual disease. Because of this, the hospital is not their first point of call.” She explained
While heredity is a risk factor, she emphasized, it accounts for only a portion of cases.
“That is what we must let our people understand,” she said.
When Faith Delays Care
Religion plays a central role in Ghanaian society, but health professionals warn that it can also delay life-saving treatment when misused.
Dr. Wiafe Addai expressed concern about prayer camps that accept women with breast cancer and discourage medical intervention.
“We are religious people. We believe in God. But we should let our pastors pray for us while we go to the hospital.”She said
She warned that delays caused by spiritual intervention often lead to late-stage diagnoses, when treatment becomes more complex and survival chances diminish.
Lifestyle factors, she added, also contribute to risk. Skin-lightening products, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and poor dietary habits can increase vulnerability, while natural products such as shea butter do not.
Breaking the Silence
Advocates say misinformation thrives where silence exists. The Paramount King of the Igbo Community in Ghana, Eze Dr. Chukwudi Ihenetu, an advocate for breast cancer awareness, warned that myths continue to drive women away from medical care and into the hands of exploitative spiritual figures.
As Pink October draws to a close, health experts are urging women to move beyond symbolic gestures and recommit to regular breast self-examinations, screening, and early hospital visits.
For survivors like Akua and Mrs. Sarfo, survival has come with a mission, to ensure that fear, faith, or false beliefs do not cost another woman her life.
The challenge now is whether awareness can outlast the month, and whether facts can finally silence fear.
