A breast cancer surgeon, Professor Temidayo Ogundiran, has said on average, five new breast cancer cases are seen every week at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, attesting to the rising incidence of the cancer in the country.
Ogundiran, who spoke at the Ibadan Medical Specialists Group UK symposium, tagged ‘Cancer Research and Audit’, at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, said between January and the end of October, the hospital attended to 170 new breast cancer cases, with an average of five new cases per week.
He stated that Nigeria has the highest number of breast cancer cases in Africa, with majority of them falling within the age groups of 35 and 55.
According to him, “almost 30 percent of our patients fall under the age of 30, which is not happening in other parts of the world. So, the demography of breast cancer in Nigeria shows that most of our patients are very young.”
“The characteristics of the disease make it a matter of public concern because most of our patients are still young, majority of them present at the hospital when the disease has reached an advanced stage.”
Professor Ogundiran stated that breast cancer is the most common female cancer worldwide and its incidence is increasing in the African population, which has hitherto enjoyed low incidences due to factors like increasing life expectancy, obesity, alcohol use, physical inactivity, heredity, changing dietary patterns, lifestyle changes and duration of breastfeeding.
The don noted that Nigeria also records the highest number of deaths from breast cancer in Africa because about 80 percent of patients with breast cancer present very late, and at the time, the cancer had spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs, spine and liver.
He declared that breast cancer has socioeconomic and psychological implications for its patients, as its diagnosis affects the entire family.
He described breast cancer as a disease that can lead to a lot of social disharmony in the home, including loss of jobs and divorce.
Professor Ogundiran, noting that breast cancer survival rate in Nigeria is the lowest in Africa, stressed the need for increasing information on breast cancer for patients and incorporation of psycho-socioeconomic counselling into routine care, as well as training of more health personnel to care for cancers.
On the occasion where 12 medical students received an IMSG UK scholarship, Mr Banji Adeyoju, outgoing IMSG president, said the aim of the group is to offer support to the college and to inspire and encourage medical students to aspire to greater heights as alumni of the future.
Provost, College of Medicine, Ibadan, Professor Olayinka Omigbodun and the President of the Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association (ICOMAA), Professor Emmanuel Otolorin, lauded the IMSG UK group, describing the group as being at the forefront of the support of the college.
. TheWitness
