‘Cancer Burden High In Rivers’

Medical experts in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital say the cancer burden in the state is on the high side.

Consultant-General and Breast Surgeon, University of  Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rollings Jamabo, made this disclosure at a talk on screening for cancer, for medical personnel of the hospital last Wednesday.

Dr Jamabo, also the coordinator, Onchology Centre, UPTH, and senior lecturer, University of Port Harcourt, said the burden of cancer in the state is so high that sometimes, it is difficult to cope at the hospital.

He said, “the burden of cancer is so high, the treatment and management is also expensive and the patients generally have no money”, and added that “government need to come in, to declare all endocrine disease like they have done for pregnant women’s deliveries free. Its done abroad and I feel government can afford it”.

On the prevalence of cancers, he said, an average of five breast cancer cases are discovered every week at the hospital, adding that one out of every 12 breast cancer cases die while 35 of 1000 cases of all cancers die annually.

He said early diagnosis is the key to successfully combat cancer and expressed regret that many sufferes of cancer present when it is too late and nothing much except palliatives could be done for them, also saying that, it was unfortunate that those who are in the hospital community do not take advantage of the facilities and present for screening.

In his own paper, on cervical cancers, consultant Gynecologist, UPTH, Kennedy Nyengidiki, said a large number of women present with cervical cancer when the disease has advanced and nothing canbe done about it.

Dr Nyenigidiki stated that cervical cancer is the commonest gynecological cancer  and advised that woman should not want until when they feel very sick before presenting at a medical facility, advising that once any woman experiences offensive vaginal discharge, weight loss, unscheduled vaginal bleeding and contact bleeding she should immediately see a doctor.

He insist that early presentation is the key to cure, noting, “in the developed world 70 percent of women present very early and they don’t have cancer related deaths as much as we have in the developing countries, but here, 80 per cent present very late in which during that particular period, you really can’t do much, with that you go in to palliative cure, making their lives more comfortable instead of looking at definitive treatment for cure for them.

Additionally, he advised that sexually active women and girls from age nine, should be encouraged to take the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) vaccination for protection against HPV, which scientists say is 80-90 percent responsible for cervical cancer.

Tonye Nria-Dappa