NO fewer than 80,000
Nigerians die from various forms of cancer annually, with an estimated 10
people dying from cancer every hour.
Dr Abia Nzelu, Lagos State
coordinator of the National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP), who disclosed
this on Wednesday, said cancer remained the number one killer of mankind,
adding that it killed more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis did.
According to him, the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had predicted that by 2030,
there would be more than 21 million new cases of cancer, with 13 million cancer
deaths every year.
He disclosed that a recent
free cancer screening exercise carried out by NCPP, as part of the
International Cancer Awareness Month (ICAM) 2012 in Mushin Local Government
Area of Lagos State revealed that four out of 100 women screened were positive
for cervical changes, while 14 in 100 women had breast pathologies.
He said arrangements were
in top gear to establish cancer centre in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, adding
that the Port-Harcourt Cancer Centre (PHCC) would be the first of the six
comprehensive cancer centres the NCPP would establish in the six geopolitical
zones of the country.
“When the PHCC is fully
established, it will ensure that cases that are detected during screening are
adequately treated in Nigeria, irrespective of the financial status of the
patients,” he added.