Children constitute 7.2% of annual cancer cases in Nigeria – official

The National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Uchechukwu Nwokwu, has revealed that children represent 7.2 per cent of the 127,000 cancer cases recorded annually in Nigeria.

Mr Nwokwu said this at the sideline of a public enlightenment on childhood cancer commemorating 2025 International Childhood Cancer Day, (ICCD) organised by Akanimo Cancer Foundation in Abuja on Saturday.

ICCD is commemorated globally every 15 February to raise more awareness on childhood cancer and to galvanise support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.

“Data is been collated, however, the current one we have shows that we have 127,000 cancers annually in Nigeria, out of which, 7.2 per cent are children,” he said.

He noted that childhood cancer survival rates can reach 80 per cent with early diagnosis, timely access to treatment, and a positive response to therapy.

“The cancers that are common among children are the leukemias. Meanwhile, adults also have leukemias, but the most common childhood cancers are the leukemias, but they are about the fourth commonest cancer in adults,” he said.

He said coincidentally, children have more tendency to survive than the adults because their systems are still very functional.

“They have the capacity to resist some of the side effects of the drugs used to treat them and they recover quite fast. Also, if they have opportunity to do stem cell transplant, they can survive it,” he said.

On the issue of government response to childhood cancer, the national coordinator said that efforts are in place to include it in the Cancer Health Fund.

According to him, before now, there was this omission of attention toward childhood cancers.

“But that has changed, and I am sure that in 2025, childhood cancer would be captured in the cancer health fund. So, going forward children can now access their care from that fund,” he said.

The Abuja Coordinator of Akanimo Cancer Foundation, Idorenyin Usoh, stressed the need for more advocacy and response from the government and other stakeholders towards childhood cancer.

Ms Usoh said: “We want more awareness on childhood cancer because the truth is, childhood cancer is a silent crisis with so many children dying from it.

“Most medical practitioners, even parents do not think that children can have cancer so, they treat them for other things and before they realise that it is cancer, it becomes too late. What we then start doing is diagnose early, start treatment early as most childhood cancers are curable if diagnosed early.”

Earlier, Idara Ekanem, Executive Director of the Foundation, whose son, Akanimo, passed away from cancer, said that the foundation is committed to assisting children with cancer, especially indigents.

Mrs Ekanem noted that the foundation is also supporting research for better treatments, therapies and cures, as well as creating more awareness on childhood cancer nationwide.

“Right now, we have about 10 children in five Nigerian hospitals that we are taking care of under the patient treatment programme of Akanimo Childhood Cancer Foundation,” she said.

On the cost implication of treatment, the founder said that cancer treatment is very expensive.

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“Most of the children that we take on are absolutely indigent Nigerian children. Sometimes they cannot afford transport to clinic, cannot afford food or investigations to even confirm the cancer,” she said.

“So, we pay for everything, depending on what the child needs, from chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and other medications that the child needs to just be able to make it through,” she said.

Meanwhile, some FCT residents commended the initiative of the foundation in creating awareness on childhood cancer, which has not been given more prominence like other forms of cancer.

A resident of Jabi, Aisha Bello, urged government and other stakeholders to implement policies that would enable children, especially indigents ones suffering from cancer access treatment.

Ms Bello said that the high cost of cancer treatment had affected access to treatment and compelled some to seek alternative care for it, which usually compounded the disease.
(NAN)