The war against the dreaded disease, Cancer, takes a new dimension on Sunday with the kick-off of systematic community-based free mass health outreaches.
This is with the use of Mobile Cancer Centres, PinkCruise.
According to the Organising Committee, World Cancer Day 2018, Dr. Abia Nzelu, the project is an initiative of a non-governmental organisation, National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP).
In a statement by Nzelu, the organisation spoke extensively on the disease, pointing out how it had continued to claim lives despite the fact that it could be prevented.
Pointing out that the global cancer epidemic was huge, he said it was set to rise.
He said, currently, one out of every three persons would be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and by 2030, one in every two persons would be diagnosed of the disease in their lifetime.
According to him, WHO’s latest data showed that cancer had been responsible for almost 1 in 6 deaths globally.
“Each year 8.8 million people die from cancer,” he said.
Sadly, about two-thirds of these deaths occur in developing countries like Nigeria, Nzelu said.
He added that according to WHO, Nigeria had had a significant increase in the incidence of deaths from the common cancers within four years.
“In 2008 breast cancer killed 30 Nigerian women daily; by 2012 this had risen to 40 women daily.
“In 2008 prostate cancer killed 14 Nigerian men daily; by 2012 this had risen to 26 men daily.
“In 2008 liver cancer killed 24 Nigerians daily; by 2012 this had risen to 32 daily.
“Over 100,000 Nigerians are diagnosed with cancer annually, with a dismal survival rate of 1: 5.
“The good news is that most cancer deaths are preventable,” Nzelu explained.
He also spoke on the project titled The Big War embarked upon by his organisation.
The statement reads in part: “The Big War aims to establish effective infrastructure for cancer care, by providing at least one Mobile Cancer Centres (MCC) for each state and a Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) for each of the six zones.
“It is noteworthy that the four pilot set of MCC have been delivered to Nigeria.
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“The fixed centres from which the MCC would operate have also been set up in four selected cities representing the four old regions – Lagos (West), Abuja (North), Asaba (Midwest) and Port Harcourt (East).
“The MCC is the first of its kind in the world, and is much more than a Mobile Mammogram.
“It is a clinic on wheels with state of the art facilities for screening, follow-up and treatment (including mammography, sonography, endoscopy, colposcpopy, cryotherapy and surgeries for pre-cancer / early cancer).
“It is also a means of preventing ten major Cancer-related killer diseases (Malaria, Diabetes, Renal Disease, Obesity, Schistosomiasis, HPV, Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, Helicobacter pylori and Hypertension).
“By tackling the double burden of disease (Communicable & Non-Communicable), the MCC would help to raise Nigeria’s life expectancy, which is currently the seventh lowest globally.
“This significant achievement in the Big War was made possible by the concerted actions of public-spirited Nigerians, particularly the ‘Centurions’ (National Philanthropists), including Mr. Jim Ovia (Nigeria’s only Titanic Centurion), Chief Modupe & Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, Dame Winifred Akpani, Mr. Tonye Cole and Sir Kessington Adebutu.
“Several civic leaders also supported the #GivingTuesdayNigeria campaign, including the Vice President (His Excellency, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, SAN, GCON, and the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, FCA.”
