Prof. Olufemi Ogunbiyi, the Vice President of the West African Organisation for Cancer Research and Training, on Wednesday said prostate cancer was the most commonly diagnosed solid tumour in men with high fatality.
Ogunbiyi, who is also a lecturer and Consultant Pathologist in the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, made this disclosure in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria.
He spoke on the sidelines of a symposium on: Nigerian Prostate Cancer Research.”
The symposium was held at the Covenant University Ota, Ogun State.
Ogunbiyi, in his convener’s address as the vice president of AORTIC, said the symposium was convened by the Nigerian Men’s Cancer Consortium and supported by the University of Florida.
He explained that Nigerian men suffer the highest burden from prostate cancer with mortality rate of 16.6 per cent per 100,000 men diagnosed with the disease.
He said research findings and collation of the disease were not adequately chronicled and published just as no national data was available due to these challenges.
He said: “The recent symposium deliberated on the role of research consortia in improving prostate cancer research in Nigeria, prevention and the challenges for its management in our environment.
“It was established that the cancer was a significant problem in Nigeria being the commonest cancer in males and the second commonest cause of deaths in Nigerian males.
“National data on the burden of the disease is lacking and in spite of the frequency of this disease, there is variability with projected poor outcome of deaths among patients.
“The ability to detect the disease early is limited by the absence of multidisciplinary treatment planning for cancer treatment in Nigeria and inadequate numbers of palliative care centres and hospices in the country.”
Ogunbiyi explained that a national consortium would be effectively put in place to set goals and formulate policies for prostate cancer treatment and research in Nigeria.
He appealed to government at all levels to assist the consortium to strengthen its activities and provide necessary infrastructure for its work.
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