Cervical cancer a pressing public health concern for female adults in Nigeria – CMD

The Chief Medical Director, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof Darlington Obaseki, has said cervical cancer represents a significant and pressing public health concern for adult females in Nigeria and other developing nations.

Obaseki asserted while delivering the 296th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) entitled, “Microscopes, Milestones And The Maelstrom: A Pathologist’s Odyssey.”

Obaseki said cervical cancer is not only the second most common malignancy among adult women but also the most prevalent cancer affecting the female genital tract in Nigeria.

While calling on the government to tackle the ailment by adequately funding and maintaining a cancer registry to ensure comprehensive and reliable cancer data availability, Obaseki said Nigerians should utilize the available cancer screening programmes or modalities to help reduce cancer morbidity and mortality by early detection of cancers and pre-cancerous conditions.

“Cervical cancer represents a significant and pressing public health concern for adult females in developing nations. It remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in these regions.”

The CMD who noted that the ailment despite being preventable and even curable when detected early, said cervical cancer often progresses silently, primarily due to the lack of screening and early detection initiatives in many developing countries.

The Professor of pathology added that in developed countries, cervical cancer has been pushed out of the top ten cancers list, following substantial healthcare investments in screening programmes and diagnostic workup.

“In contrast, industrialized nations have made significant strides in reducing the burden of invasive cervical cancer over the past six decades, with annual incidence rates ranging 4 to 14 cases per 100,000.

“These relatively low figures sharply contrast with the situation in Nigeria,where an estimated 250 cases per 100,000 and 155,000 deaths are recorded annually.

“However ,in resource-constrained settings of the developing world, cervical cancer remains a major concern for women, with incidence and mortality rates five to six times higher.

“This concerning trend is most pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and parts of South America, where cervical cancer constitutes a significant portion, ranging from sixth to a fifth, of all cancers affecting women.

Obaseki however expressed worry that colorectal cancer is on the rise in developing countries with a global incidence rate of 9.8 percent and an estimated 1.24 million new cases diagnosed in 2008, making it the fourth cancer Worldwide, following breast, prostate and lung cancer.