By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
A not-for-profit organization, Development Communications Network has identified early detection as the key to addressing the increasing prevalence of cancer in Nigeria.
DevComs made this assertion in a statement issued to commemorate the 2023 World Cancer Day.
According to the organization, the disease, which is easily preventable and treatable during its early stages has seen a whopping 12,000 cases diagnosed and 8,000 deaths registered annually.
Despite this figure, Munachiso Unamba, the Programme Associate at DevComs lamented that late detection of cancer cases hinders the progress being made in addressing the challenge by various stakeholders.
“Being one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the country and the second most common cancer amongst females after breast cancer, the country needs to address the low level of public cancer awareness”.
It also proposed the creation of a cancer register in Nigeria to track the pace of prevention and treatment.
“In handling any problem, such as life-threatening diseases like cancer, awareness is the first step to its prevention. Nigeria needs to take action against cancer challenges with adequate funding of cancer registries as part of multi-thronged approaches to prevention and care,” the statement said.
This year’s World Cancer Day is celebrated with the theme “Close the care gap:Uniting our voices and taking action.”
This, DevComs said can be achieved through raising awareness on the importance of preventing cancer, early detection as well as treatment.
