Nigeria May Record 500,000 Cancer Cases Yearly
( 05.02.08 )
Source: The Guardian
A scary picture of the ravages of cancer on Nigerians by the year 2010 was painted by the Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange, yesterday.
According to the minister, as from 2010, about 500,000 Nigerians may suffer from the disease.
The minister stated yesterday during an event to mark the World Cancer Day that government was desirous of raising public awareness on cancer as most Nigerians still did not appreciate the dangers posed by the deadly disease.
She added that government intends to engage individuals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs) and communities to catalyse changes in smoking behaviour in the environment of children within their communities and develop toolkits, assist cancer organisations and health institutes in the country to develop information, advocacy campaign and surveys.
She explained: “InNigeria, like most African countries, 80 per cent to 90 per cent of cases are diagnosed only at very advanced stages of the disease when the only option of treatment is palliative to reduce distressing symptoms and improved quality of life till death ensues. Available information on cancer shows that about 100,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in Nigeria, and given the current population projection, it is estimated that by the year 2010, about 500,000 cases of cancer will occur in Nigeria annually.”
Grange identified tobacco smoke as a major cause of cancer as it contains over 2000 chemicals of which more than 40 are carcinogenic.
She added: “Tobacco is the single most important risk factor for non-communicable diseases, including cancers and is the largest preventable cause of cancers in the world. Tobacco is also responsible for over 25 diseases in man, including cancers.”
The scary statistics, Grange posited, should serve as a national wake-up call as doing otherwise would be increasing the already heavy burden of diseases on the country.
According to her, to tackle the challenge that cancer poses to the country, the Ministry of Health has developed an action plan for the control of major non-communicable diseases that include cancer control.
Grange further hinted that the Federal Government had provided cancer screening machines at the refurbished teaching hospitals under the Vamed projects.
Her words: “The national cancer control programme addresses such strategies for the control and prevention of cancer through screening, health education programmes, training of health personnel at the tertiary level, provision of diagnostic equipment in the hospitals as mammography machines and strengthening the existing cancer registries and produce guidelines for the management of cancer cases inNigeria. It is worth noting that the Federal Government through its teaching hospital modernisation under Vamed project has provided state of the art equipment in our hospitals for cancer screening.”
Chairman of National Consultative Committee On Cancer Control inNigeria, Prof. Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti, while presenting the report of his committee to the minister, bemoaned the state of cancer treatment in the country.
He stated that at the existing rate of population growth, only one radiotherapy machine is available to about 20 million Nigerians and called on government to provide more equipment for the treatment of cancer in order to stem the rising tide of the disease amongst the citizens.
