A Woman’s Battle with Cervical Cancer and the Challenges in Nigeria’s Healthcare System
“It all started with frequent stomach aches about four years ago,” Mrs. Agnes Acholi recalled. “From there, each episode of abdominal pain became progressively worse, and I sought medical treatment.” The businesswoman, who resides in Yola, Adamawa State, went to a public hospital in the town where the doctor — who apparently had limited access to diagnostic tools — informed her that she had a stomach infection.
After more than two years of treating the supposed infection without any improvement, the stomach pain became incredibly worse, to the extent that the mother of three was unable to walk properly. “Last April, when I realized I could barely stand up because of the pain, I urgently sent for my son, and we went to a private clinic, where a consultant gynaecologist examined me and told my son I had cervical cancer.”
From there, they travelled to the general hospital in the Federal Capital Territory. The magnetic resonance imaging test indicated that she had an infection, but the drugs she was given didn’t stop the stomach pain. That was when she was referred again to a gynaecologist. It was there that they told her again they were suspecting cervical cancer. A histopathological test was conducted, and it was then confirmed that she had cervical cancer. She was referred to the oncology department. When they got there, the doctors said she ought to have begun chemotherapy, that it’s stage three cancer, and that they might be referred to the federal hospital in Lagos, Sokoto, Maiduguri, or Akwa Ibom.
Since then, she has fought for her life by embracing both orthodox and holistic therapies. She noted that if she had been correctly diagnosed and treated earlier, it would have been easier for her to defeat cancer.
The Global Burden of Cancer
According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths. The global agency identified breast, lung, colon, rectum, and prostate cancers as the most common types, adding that many cancers “can be cured if detected early and treated effectively.”
One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries and spread to other organs of the body, a process referred to as metastasis.
Cancer in Nigeria: Statistics and Challenges
According to the Global Cancer Observatory, in 2021, Nigeria had 124,815 new cancer cases in total in 2020, of which 51,398 were males, with prostate cancer being the most prevalent (29.8 per cent), and 73,417 were females. It was also stated that breast cancer, being the most common type, had 38.7 per cent, followed by cervical cancer, put at 16.4 per cent.
The problem, however, is that only about five to 32 per cent of Nigerians can afford the cost of cancer diagnosis and/or care out-of-pocket without experiencing catastrophic healthcare expenditure. Findings by Sunday PUNCH indicated that Nigeria has 27 cancer treatment centres available for a population of over 200 million people, causing many patients to encounter delays as well as financial burdens.
By headcount, the 2024 Federal Healthcare Budget of N1.48tn would equal N6,400 per person. In a country where almost 90 per cent of healthcare expenditure is paid through out-of-pocket sources, many citizens often seek cheaper alternative means of therapy.
In spite of breast and cervical cancer screening programmes by governmental and non-governmental organisations, particularly in urban areas, many Nigerians still lack access to key screening and diagnostic equipment. Similarly, the President of the Nigerian Cancer Society, Abidemi Omonisi, disclosed that about 16 states had no clinical oncologists – doctors specially trained to manage cancer patients.
“Managing cancer is not like treating malaria, where one doctor can handle the case,” Omonisi said. “Cancer care requires oncology nurses, pharmacists, and a multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral approach.”
Personal Stories of Struggle and Survival
Sharing her ordeal, a breast cancer survivor, Mrs. Esther Gbolabo, said she first observed a lump on her breast in 2023 and initially resorted to purchasing a herbal mixture to treat it. “The man claimed to be an oncologist at a hospital and sold me a small keg of herbs for N800,000. After a while, the lumps multiplied to three and became painful. That was when I went to the hospital here in the United Kingdom, and they found out that the lumps were cancerous. I was told that it had spread too far and surgery was no longer an option.”
Also speaking, an eye cancer survivor, Dr. Idris Olajide, stated that with his brief experience, the management of cancer in Nigeria is very challenging, either at the diagnostic level or during its treatment. He added that cancer management is very expensive, and its tests are costly in a way that could drain patients of their vigour if they are not financially or psychologically prepared.
Awareness and Early Detection
A paediatric expert, who works at an oncology centre, Mrs. Tolulope Awopetu, highlighted how lack of awareness could increase the mortality rate of cancer. “For instance, retinoblastoma, a rare type of eye cancer, typically affects children under the age of five. Some parents only come to the hospital when the damage has been done, and this is due to lack of awareness and probably ignorance.”
“Whereas early detection typically improves outcomes and survival rates, there is also low funding, and cancer care is very expensive,” Awopetu noted.
Scientific Breakthroughs in Cancer Research
In a major stride for global cancer research, a Nigerian scientist at Jackson State University, Mississippi, United States, Olorunsola Kolawole, has pioneered an innovative nanotechnology approach that advances the early detection of cancer. Kolawole, who was honoured with the Research Excellence Award by the Chemistry Division of the Mississippi Academy of Science at its 89th annual conference on March 20, stated that his approach would provide a new tool to aid in detecting lung cancer.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the scientist explained that he developed multifunctional carbon dots that combine luminescence, magnetic properties, and specificity “to significantly enhance the imaging and identification of exosomes – the microscopic vesicles released by cancer cells that are central to tumour progression and metastasis.”
Government Efforts and Public Awareness
Last week, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, while unveiling a blood-based test for early detection of nine high-mortality cancers in Ogun State, raised the alarm about the increasing burden of cancer in the country. He noted that the Federal Government had, in February, inaugurated a technical working group comprising key and diverse professionals to explore how Nigeria could begin to deploy nuclear medicine services and technologies to improve citizens’ health.
A senior medical officer, Dr. Paul Anejodo, pointed out that the majority of Africans believe cancer is a “white man’s disease.” This belief, in addition to denial and fear, are among the factors that prevent people from going to the hospital to seek early medical care. “Furthermore, the lack of a widespread, accessible cancer screening programme has led to late diagnoses and, consequently, more deaths. There is limited public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms.”
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