The Nation Newspaper

Tag: cancer-screening

  • Family holds cancer screening for 200 after losing relative

    Still nursing the pains of losing their brother to prostate cancer, the Adesoye family has organised prostate cancer screening for members of the public.

    This, the family said, will help many who are not aware of the killer disease to take it serious and prevented avoidable deaths.

    No fewer than 200 people benefitted from the exercise which was in partnership with the NASFAT Agency for Zakat and Sadaqat (NAZAS).

    During the free medical services on prostate cancer in Lagos, the representative of the Adesoye Family, Otunba Ogungboyega Adesoye, said the free screening and treatment was a form of reflection on the circumstances that surrounded the death of his brother, Oyebade Arasim Adesoye.

    He said: “It is unfortunate that we lost my elder brother to prostate cancer and all efforts to cure him were fruitless. He was actually ignorant of the prostate cancer.  At the initial stage, he was not aware of it and he was using the traditional medication. By the time he told us, we took him to the hospital, even up to London hospital, but it was too late. We believed that many Nigerians might also die of the disease if they were not informed of the danger of the disease.”

     

     

  • Cancer screening for women

    An NGO, EDWIN, is set to organise cancer screening programme for women.

    The programme tagged Friends of EDWIN holds on May 25 in Lagos.

    A statement by the convener, EDWIN, Uri Ngozichukwuka, said the new date was borne out of the discoveries the organisation obtained from a medical fair few months ago.

    “Report from the Medical Fair revealed that 8 of the women who undergone cancer screening is positive and three out them also have lumps,” she said.

    These women, she said, would require N75,000 each for treatment meaning there would be needs for more donors.

    Uri called on well-meaning Nigerian to save these women’s lives by donating the required amount for their vaccines and therapy.

     

  • Kebbi governor’s wife targets 3000 indigent women for cancer screening

    The Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Kebbi State Ministry of Health and other partners are to create awareness, build capacity and raise funds for indigent cancer patients in Kebbi State.

    The eight-year-old foundation is an initiative of Dr Zainab Atiku Bagudu wife of the state governor.

    With the theme: ‘’Promoting early detection of cancer to reduce mortality rate’’, the wife of the governor said she was  worried about the increasing practice of bringing late  cancer patients to public knowledge, particularly through the media, adding that she would build skills that would make them detect cancer cases early.

    Activities  for the event include a walk against cancer, free screening for women with the target of 3,000 women in  four local government areas  – Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Arewa and Ngaski.

    She said the screening was free , urging women to come out en-mass for it.

    Zainab said  there would also be a training on cervical cancer screening for 66 health workers across the state.

  • Free cancer screening for 500 widows

    Free cancer screening for 500 widows

    Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), a non-govermental organisation (NGO) that focuses on equipping generations with values and leadership skills, has organised a health programme to sensitise the public, especially widows to the dangers of cancer.

    It conducted free breast and cervical cancer screening for about 500 widows who benefited from the programme held in Victoria Island Lagos State.

    Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP-Nigeria), Dr. Abia Nzelu said: “Cancer is an abnormal growth in the body. Eighty-Five per cent of cancer cases are due to environmental factors and people’s lifestyle.”

    She advised that Nigerians should eat healthy food containing more protein, poultry food, avoid smoking, eat less of red meat and indulge in safe sex practices to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases.

    Speaking on breast cancer, Dr Abia stressed that lump in the breast, change in breast size or shape, fluid other than breast milk from breasts, bloody nipple discharge, peeling or redness of breast skin and persistent pain in the breasts are some of the symptoms of breast cancer.

    She added that women from age 35 who have family history of breast cancer should go for screening once a year while women with no family history should go for breast cancer screening at the age of 40. She encouraged women to engage in frequent self-examination of breasts. Examination of one’s breast a week to one’s menstruation period will  help to detect lump quickly.

     

     

     

     

  • Ekiti urged to set up Olayinka cancer-screening centre

    The Ekiti State Government has been urged to set up a cancer-screening centre in honour of the late Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

    The Alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on Environment and Public Health (ANEPH) made the call yesterday in a statement signed by its officers, Mrs. Feyisike Adeoye and Mr. Kehinde Adegbuyi.

    It said setting up the centre in Mrs. Olayinka’s memory is a practical way of honouring a woman, who gave her life to the service of humanity.

    The group said: “Cancer is ravaging Nigeria. People are dying. The death of Mrs. Olayinka has further confirmed that death through cancer has no respect for age or status, making every one a potential victim.

    “We can make a lot of difference through the timely screening of people, so that the challenge can be tackled at the budding stage.”

    ANEPH is a coalition of NGOs in Nigeria working on public health safety.

    The group praised the Ekiti State government for revealing the cause of Mrs. Olayinka’s death to the public, instead of shrouding it in secrecy as is the case with many government officials.

    It said: “By making the cause of her death a subject of public knowledge, the Ekiti State government has demonstrated a higher ethical ground as against the awful tradition of secrecy, which does not promote public consciousness in public health safety.

    “Knowing the credentials of the leadership in Ekiti, we might be pre-empting the state government. We are sure Governor Kayode Fayemi realises the importance of honouring his deputy in ways consistent with her humanitarian services throughout her life time.

    “She was a selfless advocate of public health safety, who became a victim. She fought gallantly to defeat cancer, but it was too late. The Funmi Olayinka Cancer-Screening Centre will serve as a life-saver for millions of Nigerians, who stand at risk but have no opportunity to detect it early.

    “Statistics show that cancer killed 7.6 million people in 2008 worldwide and there is indication that the figure could double to 14 million in 2030.

    “According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer accounts for 13 per cent of deaths registered globally. In Nigeria, about 11,000 cancer deaths are recorded annually and 250,000 new cases recorded.

    “It is worrisome that only 17 per cent of African countries are said to have sufficiently funded cancer-control programmes, while a small percentage of countries in the world have functional plans to prevent the disease and provide treatment and care to patients.

    “However, if detected early, many types of cancer can be cured. WHO indicates that the shortage of a functional cancer-control plan is alarming in developing countries, which account for more than two-thirds of the new cancer cases and deaths yearly.

    “We urge the nation’s health authorities to step up cancer awareness, prevention and treatment. Most cancer treatment centres in Nigeria today lack modern diagnostic equipment. Generally, there is a lack of awareness on the disease, especially the causative factors, preventive measures, likely treatment options and facilities where such treatments are available.”