Angela Onwuzoo
The Chief Clinical Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority–Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Cancer Centre, Dr.Habeebu Muhammad, says no fewer than 17,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed yearly in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths among women aged between 15 and 44.
Muhammad said cervical cancer can be prevented, urging Nigerians with symptoms of the killer disease to seek help early and do away with the misconception that cancer is a death sentence.
The oncologist explained that the reason why people die from cancer is because they present late to the hospital when the disease is at an advanced stage.
He noted that early detection saves lives, reiterating that early detection is crucial in reducing cancer mortality and the huge financial cost associated with the management of the disease.
Citing the number of new cancer cases diagnosed annually in Nigeria, the physician, who spoke exclusively to PUNCH Healthwise, stressed the need for improved care and access to patients.
Muhammad said, “We have about 102,000 new cases of cancer annually as of 2023. About 15 per cent of this is cervical cancer. So that is about 17,000 new cases of cervical cancer annually.”
The director advised Nigerians to live a healthy lifestyle to overcome the global life-threatening disease that is ravaging the world.
Cervical cancer, a type of cancer that develops in a woman’s cervix, is the fourth most common cancer among women globally.
The cancer burden continues to grow globally, exerting tremendous physical, emotional, and financial strain on individuals, families, communities, and health systems.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 10 million people die of cancer annually worldwide and that 70 per cent of these deaths occur in low-to-middle-income countries including Nigeria
Muhammad also recommended routine medical checks, insisting that early detection of cancer was the solution to overcoming the global scourge.
He noted that breast and cervical cancers were prevalent among women while prostate cancer was common in men.
The Federal Government in 2023 introduced the Human Papillomavirus vaccine into its routine immunisation system, as part of efforts to protect teenage girls against cervical cancer and other related diseases.
The government aims to reach 7.7 million girls with life-saving vaccines, the largest number in a single round of HPV vaccination in the African region.
Although the causes of cancer are unknown, 14 out of the 100 types of HPV strains have been identified to cause at least 99 per cent of cervical cancer cases.
According to WHO, HPV types 16 and 18 cause at least 70 per cent of cervical cancers and pre-cancerous cervical lesions.
There is also evidence linking HPV with cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, penis, and oropharynx.
WHO estimates that cervical cancer could be the first cancer to be eliminated if 90 per cent of girls are vaccinated against HPV, 70 per cent of women are screened, and 90 per cent of women with the disease receive treatment.
Another oncologist and founder of Breast Without Spot Foundation, Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, says cervical cancer kills between 23 and 28 women daily in Nigeria.
“Cervical cancer kills 23-28 Nigerian women daily. Hence, by conducting routine examinations of the breast and genital areas, it is possible to reduce the risk of developing cancers like breast cancer and cervical cancer, as well as various other forms of cancer that may affect the body.”
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