Specialists in the field of oncology have said cancer-related deaths are highly preventable when the disease is detected early and presented for treatment.
The experts, who underscored the importance of regular screening identified late presentation as a major cause of death in cancer patients.
Cancer is an abnormal growth of body cells that kills normal cells and stops them from functioning properly which might lead to death.
The physicians in separate interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, pointed out that cancer is no longer a death sentence.
One of the experts, the Medical Director of Me Cure Cancer Centre, Dr Adeoluwa Adeniji, said there was a need for people to know that cancer is no longer a death sentence.
Adeniji, who is a clinical radiation oncologist, said people are still dying of cancer in Nigeria due to late presentation.
Harping on the importance of regular health checks, the oncologist, said, “Screening of cancer is the way to detect cancer early, to ensure that people diagnosed with cancer have access to care.
“Cancer is no longer a death sentence especially when it is detected early and that is the purpose of the screening.”
The oncologist said people are still dying of cancer in Nigeria due to late presentation.
“The issue is that a lot of people don’t come for screening programs and they don’t come when the cancer is still small. They come around in Nigeria, in Africa when cancer has taken over the entire body.”
Adeniji noted that when presented late, treatment of cancer would not be as effective as when it was presented early for treatment.
“At that point, even the best of the centres all over the world may not be able to cure it.
“What we are emphasising now is screening and early detection. Once an individual can come for screening annually and cancer is detected early, then it is no longer a death sentence, it can be cured.
Peoplesmind