Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS)
As part of efforts aimed at raising awareness on the early detection of breast cancer, Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (C.O.P.E) recently partnered with General Electric Healthcare to acquire an Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS).
Speaking at the launch of the ABUS in Lagos recently, C.O.P.E Founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ebun Anozie, stated that the new machine will help to detect breast cancer early and “we will be able to reach out to more women. It is going to help a lot of women, not forgetting the fact that men also have breast cancer, one in a hundred. It is just that it is higher in women than men.”
Specifically, she said: “We have four machines and this is the fifth one. Women come here every third Saturday of the month from 10 am to 2 pm. Ordinarily, it costs about N15,000 to go for screening. Here, our partners have made it possible for women to take advantage of our screening services at a free and/or subsidised rate. What we want is to mitigate the mortality rate of breast cancer in Nigeria. Women don’t need to die due to fear, ignorance, or poor healthcare. Screening is key because when an issue in the breast is detected early and treatment is given, there is a higher chance of surviving cancer.”
She acknowledged C.O.P.E’s incredible partners for all their unwavering support including General Electric Healthcare, Variant Advisory, Polaris Bank, Hardrock Cafe Lagos, SKLD, Union Bank, and Pfizer.
In his speech, Prof. Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chief Osato Giwa-Osagie, stressed the need for more awareness on breast cancer. Prof. Osagie, who is also the Chairman of C.O.P.E and Joint Pioneer of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)/Test Tube Baby in Nigeria with Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, added: “If you are not aware of the existence of something, you are more at risk to have complications and die.” He said advocacy increases people’s knowledge and with an increase in knowledge, there will be an increase in women taking the appropriate treatment.
Continuing, he revealed the ABUS technology, supplied by General Electric Healthcare, is advanced ultrasound for scanning the breasts.“It’s a major advancement not only for C.O.P.E, but women generally. We are very happy and grateful that we have acquired the ABUS machine and we are planning to scan at least 2,000 women in Nigeria per year. And the whole procedure of scanning takes only twenty minutes,” he disclosed.
Specifically, he said in terms of C.O.P.E, “We educate the general public about breast cancer and how it can be diagnosed early. If a woman examines her breasts every week, she can detect lumps and breast cancer early and approach the doctor for appropriate confirmation and treatment. If she is not aware at all, she may not know she has breast cancer until it ulcerates and by that time, the cure is very unlikely.”
Speaking further, he added that it has been established that the cure for cancer depends on early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
“It is when you diagnose that you can start treating. Any technology that can ensure early diagnosis is a major step forward in cancer management,” he noted.
Representative of General Electric, Natalie Botha, while speaking on the benefits of ABUS, said the technology is a standardized examination with many advantages in both screening and diagnostic settings.
She added that it increases the detection rate of breast cancer, improves the workflow, and reduces the examination time. On his part, Group Head Strategic Brand Management, Polaris Bank Nduneche Ezurike said it is all about humanity. “For over fifteen years, we have worked with Ebunola Anozie, a resilient and fantastic woman,” Ezurike said. Cancer is better off preventing than cure, adding that the bank is also contributing to the advocacy on cancer awareness. To Ezurike, having General Electric on board shows the importance and integrity of C.O.P.E’s mission.
The Guardian
