Nation
ARCON Laments Poor Cancer Management In Nigeria
Association of Radiation and Clinical Oncologists of Nigeria (ARCON) has expressed concern, over the rise in cancer incidence and its poor management in the country.
President of the association, Dr Nwamaka Lasebikan, in a statement shortly after the conclusion of a one-day symposium in Enugu last Friday, expressed worry that cancer incidence was on the rise with little or no efforts to combat it.
The theme of the symposium was “Optimising the Standard of Care for Breast Cancer in Nigeria”.
Lasebikan said that the symposium sought the way forward to cancer care in Nigeria, noting with dismay the slow implementation of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines in the country.
She said that the NCCN guideline was recently adopted by the Federal Ministry of Health as the standard of care for cancer management in Nigeria.
She, however, expressed worry over the rising incidence of cancer and its poor outcome even with treatment, attributing it, in part, to poor standardisation of evidence-based care.
According to her, “there is the need to close the care gap and generally improve both the quality of life and the clinical outcomes in patients with breast cancer.
“This can be achieved through widespread implementation of the harmonised guideline to ensure that breast cancer care is optimal and standardised across Nigeria and Africa as a whole”.
In his reaction, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, reiterated government’s commitment to fighting cancer.
Represented by the Associate Director, National Cancer Control Programme, Uchechukwu Nwokwu, the minister said, “Government remains committed to providing adequate access to standardised cancer care in the country through programmes such as the ongoing Cancer Health Funds.
Nation
Firefighters battle New Year Day inferno in Abuja, several states
Nation
Enugu North LG chairman presents ?10.8bn 2026 Budget, prioritises roads …Security, Healthcare, Human Capital Development
Nation
Christians Convert To Islam or die As ISWAP burns down Christian village
