Nigeria: Cancer May Become Leading Cause of Death in Nigeria Without Early Detection

4 March 2021

Cancer is acknowledged as the second-leading cause of death worldwide. According to World Cancer Day research "70% of cancer deaths occur in low-to-middle income countries". The Cancer Atlas report has identified cancer as "a major [global] public health and economic issue and the burden is set to spiral". The report further highlights that globally, there were over 18 million cancer cases, 9.6 million cancer deaths and 43.8 million people prevalent to cancer in 2018. The global number of cases is expected to increase to 29 million by 2040. It is estimated that Sub-Saharan Africa had 752 000 new cancer cases and 506 000 cancer deaths in 2018.

Nigeria has one of the highest burdens of cancer cases in Africa. In 2020, an estimated 124,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed while 78,0000 deaths from cancer were recorded (Globocan). The most frequently diagnosed cancers in Nigeria were Breast, Prostate, Cervical and Colorectal. Factors that contribute to the high death rates from cancer in Nigeria include: poor knowledge on cancer, late presentation to hospital, Inadequate diagnostic and treatment services and the huge financial burden of cancer treatment.

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