Integrating cancer into Primary Health Care services would represent a significant advancement for the nation, particularly considering the high burden of cancer it bears.
The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) is seeking the support of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to incorporate cancer prevention and control into Primary Health Care (PHC) services.
According to a statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the director general of the institute, Usman Aliyu, made the call during a recent visit to the office of the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Muyi Aina.
Mr Aliyu said integrating cancer into PHC services would represent a significant advancement for the nation, particularly considering the high burden of cancer it bears.
He said both agencies can identify and work out modalities for collaborative research in the area of behavioural and implementation service at the PHC level on the programmes and activities leading to cancer prevention and control.
"We want you to support the inclusion of cancers as part of the integrated disease surveillance system of the country. We can see the possibility of integrating cancer as disease surveillance in the system that is already existing," he said.
Proposed survey
Mr Aliyu said there is an urgent need for accurate data on cancer burden in Africa's most populous nation.
He mentioned that the current data on cancer in the country are only rough estimates and do not accurately reflect the situation, which is a cause for concern for the nation.
He, therefore, called on the NPHCDA to partner with the institute in carrying out a National Indicator and Impact Survey.
He said the survey would describe precisely and accurately cancer prevalence, economic impact and resource gaps of cancer in the country.
"We want to partner with you because you have the existing structure and expertise to push this survey," he said.
"We are also requesting that we form a technical committee with members from the two agencies. The committee will determine the partnership and collaboration between the two sister agencies in the area of health promotion, lifestyle modification, and cancer awareness campaign."
He said the institute has an already existing team that will fashion out the partnership between the two agencies in the launching and implementation of a national cervical cancer screening programme.
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He said this will serve as a follow-up to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programme that is being rolled out.
In his response, the NPHCDA boss, Muyi Aina, commended the institute for the initiative, noting that there are a lot of opportunities for collaboration between the two agencies.
Mr Aina said cancer screening and testing at the PHC level are at the top of his agenda. "We cannot ignore cancer treatment because I have a special and personal interest in cancer care," he said.
"There is a lot of opportunity for collaboration between the NPHCDA and NICRAT. I like the idea of a technical committee and we will work around it."
Cancer Burden
Cancer, the second leading cause of death globally, is the uncontrolled growth of a group of cells in the body. It can occur at any age and if not detected at the right time and untreated, it can increase the risk of death.
While there is a lack of current data on cancer cases in Nigeria, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported an estimated 116,000 new cases of cancer and 41,000 cancer-related deaths in the country in 2018.
It also said if the current trends are maintained, the cancer burden in Africa is projected to double from 1,055,172 new cancer cases in 2018 to 2,123,245 by 2040.
