Experts alert to increase in cancer cases, deaths in Nigeria

•Say cancer kills 10,000 Nigerians, afflicts 250,000 new persons yearly
•LUTH doctors urge FG to include cancer care into National Health Insurance Scheme

Medical experts have warned that the burden of cancer in the country is getting worse and increasing, as statistics show that about 10,000 cancer deaths with are recorded yearly with 250,000 new cases.

To make cancer diagnosis, treatment and care cheaper and accessible to everyone who needs them, they urged the Federal Government to include procedure into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

A clinical radiation oncologist, Prof. Francis A. Durosinmi-Etti, and a paediatric surgeon/ Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba, Prof Chris Bode, while speaking on the topic, “Multidisciplinary Care in Cancer Management” at the 2nd International Scientific Conference organised by LUTH, last week, said cancer is not a cheap disease to ‘cure’ as it cost millions of naira to be treated and not many citizens can afford it, thereby, causes a tremendous increase in the number of deaths recorded yearly in the country.

The two days conference themed, “Advances in Cancer Management In 21st Century” was held on May 24 and 25, 2022.

“We are calling on the help of the government and other insurance organisations in whichever way they can come in to try and reduce this burden of paying for cancer care in Nigeria,” Durosinmi-Etti said.

The cancer expert said, “Breast and cervical cancer are the most common type of cancer for women, accounting for over 50 per cent of all the cases of cancer while prostate cancer is the leading cancer for men.

“It is important for every male above 40 years to watch out for their prostrate gland, though not all problems associated with prostrate are cancerous. The women should also watch out for any sign of cancer in their breast, cervix and also the anus region so as to quickly detect any sign of it.

“Fighting cancer requires a team effort as it is not just a one man’s business, medical experts should come together, involve other specialists and also involve the patients as in this way, the disease can be handled better and even cured if gotten early.

“For those that can not be cured, it can be tackled effectively, so, they have a longer lifespan and good quality of life.”

He commended the efforts of the government in establishing medical centres in different part of the country. He equally commended some non-governmental organisations that are devoted to cancer prevention and early diagnosis.

“In the past we did not have enough facilities for managing these patients but thank God with the effort of the government and other private organisations locally and internationally like the international anatomic agency, World Health Organisation (WHO), and many other organisations, we now have more facilities with functioning equipment, which also assist in training more people in the profession,” he said.

Durosinmi-Etti pushed for more awareness from the government, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and even the citizens, as the level of awareness in the country on cancer is very low.

Bode, while discussing the event, revealed that as at five-six years ago when cancer treatment facility in Nigeria broke down, Nigerians had to travel to Ghana and other neighbouring countries to access cancer care, but today Nigeria has the best cancer treatment centre in West Africa and Sub- Sahara Africa, which is something that is commendable.

Bode said, “we are informing the general public that the services they go abroad and spend thousands of dollars for is obtainable and affordable here in the country.”

He further said that the government is not resting on its oars as more centres are still been established in the country.

Meanwhile, in a new study, researchers have found that the United States (U.S.) spends twice as much as the average high-income country on cancer care, but only has slightly better mortality rates.

While the U.S. spends twice as much on cancer care as the average high-income country, its cancer mortality rates are only slightly better than average, according to a new analysis by researchers at Yale University and Vassar College.

The results were published May 27 in JAMA Health Forum.

“There is a common perception that the U.S. offers the most advanced cancer care in the world,” said lead author, Ryan Chow, an M.D./Ph.D. student at Yale. “Our system is touted for developing new treatments and getting them to patients more quickly than other countries. We were curious whether the substantial U.S. investment on cancer care is indeed associated with better cancer outcomes.”

Out of the 22 high-income countries included in the study, the United States had the highest spending rate.

“The U.S. is spending over $200 billion per year on cancer care — roughly $600 per person, in comparison to the average of $300 per person across other high-income countries,” said senior author Cary Gross, professor of medicine and director of the National Clinician Scholars Program at Yale. “This raises the key question: Are we getting our money’s worth?”

The researchers found that national cancer care spending showed no relationship to population-level cancer mortality rates.

“In other words, countries that spend more on cancer care do not necessarily have better cancer outcomes,” said Chow.

In fact, six countries — Australia, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland — had both lower cancer mortality and lower spending than the United States.