Accra-Ghana, Feb. 17, GNA – Childhood cancer survival rate in Ghana is still very low with only three to four cases out of ten are likely to survive treatment.
Dr. Emmanuella Amoako, a Paediatric Oncology Fellow at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has said.
Dr. Amoako said blood transfusion remained an important aspect of supportive care in the treatment of childhood cancers, however, the shortage of blood to support patients affected their treatment success.
She said: “Usually, apart from giving children medication for cancer treatment, one of the backbone of cancer treatment is supportive care.
“Some of the medications cause their blood to come down and some cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma require enough transfusion. ”
Dr. Amoako, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Childhood Cancer Society of Ghana, said this at a blood donation exercise organised by the paediatric Oncology Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in conjunction with the National Blood Service to mark the International Childhood Cancer Day.
“Our challenge is that we don’t have people who donate blood as often for these children. So sometimes we go in search of blood at various facilities, which cause delay in treatment and sometimes, death…”
She said, childhood cancer should be everyone’s business because children were the future leaders.
“Worldwide, about 400,000 children get cancer before their 15th birthday. And in Ghana, we extrapolate that about 1500 children could have cancer every year. Unfortunately, we don’t see all these 1500 children and for the few who even make it to hospital, they report too late to be able to do anything.