{"id":97772,"date":"2025-10-09T14:06:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97772"},"modified":"2025-10-09T14:06:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:06:24","slug":"joy-cancer-awareness-month-radiation-therapy-plays-a-vital-role-in-cancer-treatment-dr-stephen-kpatsi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97772","title":{"rendered":"Joy Cancer Awareness Month: Radiation therapy plays a vital role in cancer treatment \u2013 Dr Stephen Kpatsi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Clinical and Radiation Oncologist at the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre, Dr Stephen Kpatsi, has encouraged Ghanaians to embrace radiation therapy as a safe and effective option in cancer care, dispelling common fears and misconceptions about the treatment.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Joy FM\u2019s Super Morning Show<\/strong> as part of the Cancer Awareness Month Series, Dr Kpatsi explained that radiation therapy remains a key component of cancer management and, in some cases, can even cure the disease when detected early.<\/p>\n

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\u201cRadiation treatment has done a lot of good for many people,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are patients with prostate and breast cancers who have been cured completely, and others whose pain disappeared within a few days of treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dr Kpatsi explained that radiation therapy uses controlled doses of high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells.<\/p>\n

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\u201cUnlike surgery, where the tumour is physically removed, or chemotherapy, where drugs travel through the bloodstream, radiation is invisible like sunlight,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s directed at the specific area where the cancer is, and it damages the DNA of those cancer cells so they can\u2019t grow or survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The therapy, he said, targets only the affected area, leaving the rest of the body unharmed.<\/p>\n

Radiation therapy is used to treat several types of cancer, including breast cancer, Cervical cancer, Prostate cancer, Soft tissue sarcomas, Head and neck cancers, and brain tumors.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSome patients receive radiation at the beginning of their treatment; others may need it later on, depending on the cancer\u2019s stage and location,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dr Kpatsi said radiation is delivered in small daily doses, usually over several weeks, to achieve the full effect while protecting healthy tissue.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor instance, a prostate cancer patient may receive radiation for about 20 to 39 days,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cA breast cancer patient might go through 25 to 30 sessions, often Monday to Friday, with weekends off.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Patients with advanced disease or bone metastases may require shorter courses, sometimes lasting just a few days, mainly to relieve pain or improve mobility.<\/p>\n

Addressing widespread myths, Dr Kpatsi clarified that radiation treatment does not make patients radioactive, nor does it expose their entire body.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe don\u2019t radiate the whole person,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s usually just a limited area. Unfortunately, some patients refuse treatment after hearing false stories, and that\u2019s very worrying because radiation saves lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He compared medical radiation to common technologies such as X-rays and microwaves.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe same principle applies, but the doses used for treatment are much higher and carefully controlled,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The duration of radiation therapy depends on the type, stage, and spread of the cancer.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEarly-stage breast cancer patients may complete treatment in under six weeks, while those with more advanced disease might need a different plan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On cost, Dr Kpatsi acknowledged that prices vary between public and private facilities.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn some centres, the National Health Insurance Scheme covers part of the cost,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt can be expensive for some families, but it\u2019s still far more accessible than travelling abroad, which only a few can afford.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cIf you notice anything unusual, please go to the hospital,\u201d he urged. \u201cNot talking about it or avoiding the hospital doesn\u2019t take the problem away. If you come early, you can be treated, sometimes completely cured,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He also encouraged the public to ask questions and stay informed rather than relying on hearsay.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have the technology, the expertise, and the treatments right here in Ghana.What we need is for people to show up early.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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\"JoyClinical and Radiation Oncologist at the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre, Dr Stephen Kpatsi, has encouraged Ghanaians to embrace radiation therapy as a safe and effective option in cancer care, dispelling common fears and misconceptions about the treatment.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10166,7,1883,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-joy-cancer-awareness-month","category-health","category-national","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=97772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=97772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=97772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=97772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}