The Atebubu-Amantin Municipal Health Promotion Officer, Madam Benedicta Awuah Nyarko, has demystified claims that only older women are prone to breast cancer.

On the contrary, she has disclosed that available data indicates that every individual is susceptible to breast cancer not only older women as has been erroneously impugned.

According to her, statistics show that 99 percent of breast cancer cases are found in women with only one percent being men.

Speaking to over six hundred students drawn from some selected schools in the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality as part of the breast cancer awareness month, Madam Benedicta disclosed that it is therefore imperative for everyone to take breast cancer awareness seriously.

“One misconception that has widely become accepted is that breast cancer is found in only older women but that is not the case. Most young ladies think that they are not prone to breast cancer and so they do not do the necessary checks to see whether they have breast cancer or not but the danger in actual fact is that nobody is immune including men. “So this awareness month is usually celebrated to create the needed awareness and publicity as far as breast cancer is concerned”.

She told the participants’ that breast cancer is preventable and urged the students not to be afraid to seek early detection at any recognised health facility as early detection saves lives. She charged them to develop a good breast plan such as Clinical Breast Examination(CBE), Breast Self-Examination(BSE) and Mammogram.

October is breast cancer awareness month which is marked in countries across the world.

The celebration helps to increase attention and support for awareness, early detection and treatment. Statistically, there are about 1.7 million new cases and 522,000 deaths from breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and it is the most common cause of cancer among women in Ghana and the world at large.