Lifestyle changes including regular exercises, limiting alcohol intake and healthy diets can reduce risk of cancer and its prevalence in Nigeria, Oncologists advise.
According to these experts, the top cancers that affect the Nigerians population are breast, cervical, prostate, colon and lymphomas cancers.
World Cancer Day is observed every year on February 4. Cancer is the second leading cause of death around the world. The World Health Organisation estimates that over 100,000 Nigerians are diagnosed with cancer yearly, while about 80,000 die from the disease.
Under the theme ‘I Am and I Will,’ World Cancer Day 2020 explores an empowering call for personal commitment to reduce the growing impact of cancer.
“This year’s theme is calling on all Nigerians to come out and inform the people about the reality of cancer. The disease is real; it is not caused by witchcraft or spiritual attack. It’s actually lifestyles and activities that predispose us to cancers,” said AliyuUsman Malami of the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria.
“I am calling on all Nigerians to change from a sedentary lifestyle,” he said, and further called for changes in dietary habits, including switching to foods low in fats and calories, and increasing the levels of vegetable consumption.
According to WHO, one-third of deaths from cancer are due to the five leading behavioural and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco and alcohol consumption.
The agency says tobacco use contributes for approximately 22 percent of cancer deaths. Cancer is a result of abnormal growth of cells. This growth can be a contribution of both external factors and inherited genetic factors.
Malami further said while cancer had been on a continuous rise in Nigeria, the reality was that the management of the disease was not improving “because we are not serious.”
“We are not yet there. The government is not doing enough,” he said. He noted that Nigeria with a population of 200 million population has only seven radiotherapy machines, and added that there is hardly any time that three or four are working concurrently.
“One machine is supposed to serve 250 people in the population. Even if cancer treatment has been added to NHIS, the scheme has just covered less than five percent,” he noted.
“The Federal Government should look at the centres, find a way to ensuring that all the department of oncology have been upgraded and supplied with machines at least two in each centre,” he said.
The high level of cancer incidence in Nigeria has raised the number of Nigerians dying from the epidemic to 240 a day or 10 Nigerians every hour.
“If you notice that several people have died in your family due to the same form of cancer or a related cancer, you can do a genetic testing to know if you got the gene,” Oge Ilegbune, a general practitioner and head of strategy, development and outreach at Lakeshore Cancer Centre, said.
According to Ilegbune, the lifestyle modification for cancer prevention is not different from those that should be adopted for hypertension or diabetes mellitus.
Also, Ifeoma Okoye, a radiologist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) and founder of Breast Without Spot, said late presentation of cancers would continue to increase status in Nigeria.
“The status has not changed; so in that direction we have not changed to the disease. Cancer and the situation are not too manageable. There is more difficulty, the disease has discriminated itself to all parts due to late presentation.”
According to her, the major drivers of the high morbidity are fear, reluctance to accept a fee for screening and the unaffordable medical bills associated with late presentation.
“We urge the public to be cancer conscious, know the causes and risk factors so that appropriate precautions can be taken to modify,” said Okoye.
