Kumasi, March 1, GNA - Dr Anim Akoto, Senior House Officer at the Oncology Directorate of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has advised women against high in-take of alcoholic beverages, saying it exposes them to the risk of cancer.

He said the use of oral contraception and eating of high fatty foods also posed danger to women in terms of contracting cancer. Speaking on breast cancer at the Grace Baptist Church in Kumasi, Dr Akoto also mentioned hereditary phenomena such as the menstrual history, late menopause and reproductive history as some of the causes of the disease.

He said even though breast cancer was the second leading cause of death among women, it was preventable when detected early for treatment. Dr Anim said due to the climatic conditions, black Africans tended to be affected by the disease more than their Europeans and urged women to always examine their breast and report any abnormal development early for treatment.

He advised breast cancer patients not to breastfeed their babies since they could transfer the disease to them.

Reverend Emmanuel Yaw Asamoah, Associate Pastor of the Grace Baptist Church, advised Christians to discard the perception that they could pray and be healed, adding that, regular check-ups was the surest way to reveal cancerous breasts.