Childhood death from cancer on the rise in Nigeria
By Modupe Shodeinde
Director of the Dorcas Cancer Foundation, Dr. Adedayo Joseph, said data has shown that childhood death from cancer are rising rather than declining in Nigeria.
In a statement on Tuesday, Joseph said that the rate of children’s death caused by cancer has significantly reduced globally. This however, she stated, is not the case in Nigeria.
She said that cancer was the leading non-infectious disease which causes death in developing countries.
“Every year, thousands of children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide with more than 80 per cent of these children living in low and middle–income countries such as Nigeria. Global data, mostly from developed countries show that pediatric cancer mortality has reduced exponentially over the last fifty years.
“Local data for Nigeria, however, tell a very different story indicating that childhood deaths from cancer are rising rather than declining. The contributing factors to this tragic picture are multi-factorial and invariably inflected by socio-cultural, economic policy and health care sector issues unique to the region.” Joseph said
She stated that misdiagnosis, lack of awareness and high cost of cancer treatment are some of the factors leading to death from childhood cancer in developing countries.
She also added that Nigeria is a country without any cancer centre dedicated exclusively to treating children.
According to her, these factors along with delayed detection and referral are the causes of high mortality rate.
