•The abandoned International Cancer Centre (ICC) along Lugbe road in Abuja
For many cancer patients in Nigeria, the battle is not only against a life-threatening disease but against the crushing cost of survival.
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world today in marking this year’s Cancer Day, findings by our correspondent show patients are abandoning orthodox treatment for herbal remedies, not out of choice, but desperation occasioned by financial constraints, reports Daily Trust.
Cancer is a major public health concern in Nigeria, with over 100,000 new cases and 70,000 deaths recorded every year.
Patients, survivors speak
Etum Odey (not her real name), a 53-year-old mother of three from Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, was diagnosed with breast cancer about three years ago.
Odey said she initially noticed abnormalities in her breast and sought treatment, but had to resort to local herbs when the cost became unbearable.
“The doctors told me I had cancer after my breast developed some anomalies. At first, I visited hospitals, but I found that the cost was too much for me to bear, so I started taking herbal concoctions,” she said.
She said she was first treated at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, where she was referred to an oncologist at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi and subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer.
According to her, the high cost of treatment has taken a toll on her finances.
“I have spent everything I have travelling between Benue, Abuja, Kaduna and Jos in search of treatment, but without success. I now spend most of my time in Abuja, where my case is being managed traditionally,” Odey added.
Chukwueze Nnena, a cervical cancer survivor, said the cost of treatment nearly cost her life.
“Chemotherapy is expensive. Radiotherapy is expensive. At one point, I wanted to stop treatment because I couldn’t afford it,” she said.
Nnena said support from friends and a non-governmental organisation helped her complete her treatment.
Another cancer patient, Mary Obiabo, said she opted for traditional medicine due to her belief that the illness was spiritually induced.
Obiabo said the disease was inflicted on her through witchcraft and insisted that it could only be treated using traditional methods.
She said the herbalist attending to her charges N3,000 daily to dress the wound.
“I am really suffering because the ailment is gradually eating up my leg. I am unwell most of the time, and the pain is excruciating,” she said.
For 36-year-old Ronke, a breast cancer survivor, the word “cancer” felt like a final verdict when she was diagnosed in 2021.
“I thought it was a death sentence. I had two young children and all I could think of was whether I would live long enough to raise them,” she recalled.
Ronke said she discovered a lump in her breast but ignored it for months due to fear and financial constraints.
“By the time I went to the hospital, the doctor told me it had progressed. But today, after surgery and chemotherapy, I am alive. Early detection would have saved me a lot of pain,” she said.
For Orikoku Peter, a prostate cancer survivor in Abuja, the illness forced him to rethink his priorities. Peter said he was diagnosed during a routine medical check-up.
“I had no symptoms. That is why people must go for regular screening. If I waited until I felt sick, I might not be here today,” he added.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Each year, approximately 400 000 children develop cancer.
The situation remains worrying in Nigeria, as health experts raise the alarm that more than 70 per cent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage largely due to poor awareness, late presentation and limited access to screening facilities.
‘Only 10 hospitals have radiotherapy machines in Nigeria’
Speaking to our correspondent, the president of the Nigerian Cancer Society, Abidemi Omonisi, said currently, there are only about ten functional radiotherapy machines actively working across the country.
Omonisi said Nigeria currently has fewer than 70 clinical oncologists and fewer than 200 pathologists nationwide.
He stated: “The deficit falls far below acceptable global standards and affects all areas of cancer care.
“The shortage is largely driven by migration, fueled by poor remuneration, insecurity, and unfavorable working conditions.
“As a result, more than 50 percent of Nigeria’s oncology workforce is now concentrated in Lagos, leaving many northern states with little or no access to specialized cancer care.”
Turai Yar’adua’s cancer centre lying fallow 16yrs after
The multi-billion naira International Cancer Centre located on Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road in Abuja is yet to take off 16 years after it was established.
Mrs Turai Yar’adua, wife of the late former president, Umaru Yar’adua, once had a grand dream to build a cancer centre in the nation’s capital that would cater, especially for the poor.
The centre was conceived after the former First Lady’s visit to the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas, United States in 2008.
On July 18, 2009, she held a fundraiser in Abuja, where pledges of N6.8 billion were reportedly made. But since then, the project has not taken off.
One of our reporters who visited the centre yesterday observed that it was overgrown with grasses, with only one motorcycle seen entering the premises. Asked whether the facility was operational, the motorcycle rider, who claimed to be a staff member, said: “It is not functioning. I don’t know why.” Efforts to speak to any official at the hospital proved abortive and none was around at the time of the visit.
NICRAT mulls home grown clinical trials
The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has expressed optimism that by 2027, it will have competent researchers that can conduct home-grown clinical trials and also partner with sister agencies to facilitate the production of drugs that can fight cancer particularly in Nigeria.
The Director-General of the institute, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, stated this in Abuja while declaring open a five-day training for selected staff of NICRAT on research and grant management.
“By the end of next year, we should have competent hands that can conduct research from start to finish, conduct clinical trials and probably in synergy with some other sister agencies to produce promising drugs that can combat the problem of cancer in Africa and in the country all with the aim of having a better outcome in the area of prevention and treatment,” Malami said.
While condemning the “insignificant” number of clinical trials in the area of cancer in the African continent, he lamented that: “There are so many problems in the various cancers that we have in the country and the African continent.”
Malami reiterated the relevance of the training, noting that: “All these lectures are to equip you with the knowledge required to be able to conduct research and apply for grants.
“This is very essential not because of the money component but rather to find home-grown solutions to the home-grown problems that we are currently having in the area of cancer.”
Why cancer is killing many Nigerians – Oncologists
Health experts, who spoke to our correspondent, identified late presentation as one of the major reasons cancer deaths are high in Nigeria.
A radiation oncologist at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Samuel Otene, emphasised prevention and early detection, noting that cancer treatment remains expensive and often out of reach for many patients.
“When cancer is detected early, it is largely curable. Through awareness and education on prevention, we can reduce cancer cases by about 30 per cent,” he said.
He added that screening modalities could further reduce the burden by another one-third, leaving only a fraction of cases requiring advanced treatment.
“If we focus on prevention and early detection, fewer people will need expensive treatment. This will lower healthcare costs, improve outcomes and ultimately result in a healthier society,” Dr. Otene said.
Another oncologist, Dr Tajudeen Adedoyin, said most patients arrive when the disease is already advanced.
“Over 60 per cent of cancer patients in Nigeria present at late stages. This reduces survival rates significantly,” he said.
