A medical expert, Dr Abidemi Omonisi has called on government and leaders to commit adequate resources to reduce cancer deaths and provide a better quality of life for patients and survivors.
In a statement to commemorate the 2022 World Cancer Day with the theme: “Close the Care Gap” Dr Omonisi explained that such steps are needed to end cancer in society.
Omonisi who is the founding Director of the Ekiti Cancer Registry also called on Nigerians to abstain from unhealthy lifestyle and practices that can make them develop cancer.
He stressed the need for partnership between government, individuals and cooperative bodies to bridge the gap and address various factors affecting the treatment of cancer which he said had become a public health challenge globally.
According to Omonisi, the main goal of marking World Cancer Day is to provide a platform for researchers, health care professionals, patients, governments, industries, non-governmental organizations, individuals and the media to build an invincible alliance against cancer and its greatest allies which are fear, ignorance and complacency.
Dr Omonisi noted that International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC estimated that the global cancer burden has risen to 19.3 million cases and 10 million cancer deaths in 2020.
He also estimated that globally, 1 in 5 people develop cancer during their lifetime, and 1 in 8 men and 1 in 11 women die from the disease.
These new estimates suggest that more than 50 million people are living within five years of a past cancer diagnosis.
Dr Omonisi advocated the need for people and organizations around the world to unite and raise awareness about cancer and work to make it a global health priority.
The cancer expert who is also a member of the Nigerian National System of Cancer Registries NSCR Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja and Research Committee Member of African Cancer Registry Network AFRCN highlighted some of the causes of cancer to include, cigarette smoking, infections such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B and C, Human Papilloma Virus ( HPV); genetic factor; artificial ultraviolet radiations; undue exposure to sun’s ultraviolet rays particularly by Albinos; chemicals such as complex hydrocarbons, aromatic amines and certain heavy metals contained in some soaps used as skin bleaching soaps and some herbicides and pesticides.
The anatomy pathologist called for the personal commitment of people to help reduce the global burden of cancer through healthy eating, exercise, limiting or quitting alcohol, knowing about signs and symptoms of cancer and early detection.
Other measures suggested by Dr Omonisi is for patients to share stories about their cancer experience, support cancer patients and survivors with physical and emotional impacts, dispel rumours and myths that lead to stigma and discrimination against people with cancer in some communities, encourage schools, and workplaces to improve nutrition, physical activity and no smoking policies that help people adopt healthy habits.
He cautioned farmers to strictly adhere to the necessary precautionary measures when using herbicides and pesticides in their farms.
Dr Omonisi also stated that Ekiti Cancer Registry had made tremendous contributions in reducing the global cancer burden through the provision of high-quality data for the publication of Cancer in Nigeria, Cancer in Sub –Saharan Africa Vol. III, data from the registry was used by Ekiti State Ministry of Health in 2021 as the basis for the development of the recently drafted Ekiti Cancer Control Plan & Policy, used by researchers for publication of articles on cancer in both local and international journals.
He explained that just a few weeks ago, the registry contributed data for the publication of Cancer in Five Continents by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon France. As a Cancer Researcher and the Principal Investigator of Transatlantic P.
Olaniyi Alade
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