Health
SOME medical experts on Thursday canvassed for early cancer test, saying early diagnosis is key to cancer survival.
The experts made the call at a Cancer Survivor’s Summit themed “The Brave Canvas: Repainting Life Beyond Cancer” in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit was organised by the Network of People Impacted by Cancer in Nigeria (NePICiN).
Dr Eliya Sala, a Consultant Surgical Oncologist, said he lost his 70-year-old father because it was too late when he did cancer diagnosis.
“Really, early diagnosis is key to cancer survival. And I will tell you my story how I became a surgical oncologist. My own father was diagnosed with cancer. I was far away practising in England.
“And when he told me his symptoms, I sent him to a hospital in Maiduguri Teaching hospital. Following his own diagnosis, which was unfortunately at stage 4.
“When I came back to Nigeria to visit and see him, trying to take him abroad. I knew it was already too late. But that actually hit me.
“This was a 70-year-old man who had been diagnosed with cancer and had little hope. When I surveyed the hospital at the time, there was actually really no system available for him,” he said.
Sala said the radiotherapy equipment was not working, adding that the oncology department was not robust as those in England.
“So I was saddened. And a few years later he passed away. That actually traumatised me and changed the perspective of my life.
“And I decided within myself that there is something I can do. I should not be in far away England when my people are dying of cancer in Nigeria.
“From that day I decided to train in surgical oncology, specialising in breast, colon and thyroid cancers. And following that, I became a consultant. And I decided that Nigeria is a calling place.
“I must come back to give my word to cancer patients. And that actually is my story,” the expert said.
He said since he came to Nigeria in 2012, he had treated more than 100 cancer cases.
In his remarks, Dr Festus Igbinoba, Chief Consultant Oncologist at the National Hospital Abuja, attributed the causes of the cancer to the unhealthy foods eaten by people on daily basis.
Igbinoba, who is also the Founding President, Association of Radiation and Clinical Oncologists of Nigeria, said the chemicals using to spray the farm was one of the causes of the cancer.
“The major thing I want to say is a change of habits. It could be dietary, it could be the way we do things. You know, our fathers then were taking things directly from their farms. There were no preservatives.
“When they were going to weed their farms, it was with hoe and cutlass, the hard way. But today you see people using chemicals to spray those things, and they don’t end there.
“Those chemicals will end in your food chain, and then you consume them. Those chemicals will percolate the ground and go to the groundwater, you drink them,” he explained.
According to him, these are working on the system and making the system very unstable, so cancers spill off.
“There are some cancers that are preventable. Those ones that are associated with viruses, of course, like HIV, and then alcohol and cigarette smoking.
“If you can really cut down cigarette smoking, cut down your alcohol, what kind of food you eat, and then do screening. Most of the time, you can be able to navigate your way through.
“But presently, cancer is beginning to take a high-tech pathway.”
Also speaking, Mrs Adetutu Korede, a cancer survivor, said she was diagnosed and underwent a mastectomy in 2019.
She said, “Then in 2020, during COVID, I did 10 sessions of chemotherapy and 21 sessions of radiotherapy. So, I’ve been a survivor since then.”
She added that she opted for mastectomy to remove the breast completely because she was scared owing to the research findings.
According to her, research has shown that most times when they do a lumpectomy, that means they remove the lump that is causing the cancer. Most times, it comes back.
“And I didn’t want to start having fear or doubt or something that something might come back. So, I said they should just remove the breast. So, the breast was removed.
“After I healed a little bit, I now started my chemotherapy. I did 10 sessions of chemotherapy and 21 sessions of radiotherapy because I’ve always been somebody who’s always been very health conscious,” she said.
Also speaking, Mrs Mary-Gloria Orji-Nwajiogu, a two times breast cancer survivor and President/CEO of NePICiN, said she was diagnosed in 2010 and recurred in 2018.
Orji-Nwajiogu, who said she did all the treatments in Nigeria, said “I did all my treatments here in Nigeria. I did chemo, I did radio, I also did surgery.
“And I was on hormonal treatment for five years. So, it’s not an easy journey. But one thing I learned from it all was that, that which I faced, I didn’t want other cancer champions to face it.
“Because there was little knowledge about survivorship. There was little knowledge about how to navigate care, especially in Nigeria.
“And so, when I was given the opportunity to lead a patient support group, I jumped at it because it has been in my mind that cancer patients ought to be given a voice,” she added.
The wife of Imo state governor, Mrs Chioma Uzodimma, said cancer survivors are not merely recipients of care, they are leaders, teachers, advocates, and partners in building a stronger cancer response for Nigeria.
“This is why First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC) is committed to moving beyond awareness alone,” she explained.
She said FLAC was championing initiatives that expand access to screening, strengthen patient support systems, promote HPV vaccination, advocate for equitable policies, and build partnerships that reduce the burden of cancer on families.
“But we must do more. We must build a health system where no Nigerian is
denied treatment because of financial hardship.
“We must strengthen the
National Health Insurance Scheme to provide broader protection for cancer
patients.
“We must invest in patient navigation, psychosocial support, survivorship care, and community-based services.
“We must ensure that the voices of survivors are represented wherever decisions about cancer policy and financing are being made,” she said.(NAN)
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Tags: Cancer survival Early diagnosis