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On Saturday, dozens of Nigerians left Transcorp to travel to Abuja via the Federal Secretariat to raise awareness of the cancer threat in the country.
Cyclists in full dress, skaters, ladies carrying placards, children and babies were part of the event entitled "World Cancer Day, Walk, Race, Skate, Bike and Marathon Against Cancer".
It was organized by Project Pink Blue and its partners and included a five-kilometer walk.
The organizers also took advantage of the event to offer free screening for prostate, bad and cervical cancer to at least 1,000 people.
World Cancer Day is an international event held on February 4th to raise awareness of cancer and encourage cancer prevention, screening and treatment.
Runcie Chidebe, executive director of the group, said many people had died as a result of an early diagnosis of cancer and lack of effective treatment facilities in the country.
He called for the need to sensitize everyone to the disease, especially those living in rural areas and illiterates with little or no knowledge of the disease.
"We are commemorating World Cancer Day, and today is February 2nd, but World Cancer Day is February 4th," said Chidebe.
"This is a great day for us to raise awareness and engage government and the private sector, including individuals, to recognize the role of everyone in reducing the burden of cancer," he said.
He also urged Nigerians to take a healthy lifestyle because it is badociated with cancer.
"At present, cancer treatment in Nigeria is very limited, so many facilities are down. That is to say, when one has cancer, one is alone.
"What we are saying is that we must act, the government must act by acting intentionally against cancer, because we are losing our mentors, our fathers, our mothers and our children," he said. he declares.
In the same vein, Owen Omogiafo, managing director / general manager of Transcorp Hotel Abuja, said early detection is the best way to fight cancer.
Participants in the Abuja Cancer Awareness Walk
Ms. Omogiafo, a survivor of cervical cancer, said that she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 29.
She added that Transcorp Hilton Abuja supported the Pink Blue project in its awareness raising and cancer awareness efforts.
"I, standing here, at the age of 29, I was able to avoid full cervical cancer because I went to undergo my Pap smear when it was discovered that I was at a stage of cancer in its own right, but today, after going through a series of treatments I am free. "
She said that without early detection, she would have had the uterus removed or dead.
Ms. Omogiafo urged people to get tested and not think that they are too young to have cancer.
Participants in the Abuja Cancer Awareness Walk
She said that she had no pain and that she was also young when she was diagnosed and treated. She said babies also have the disease.
"Some people say that cancer has a relationship with lifestyle." "Be sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle." If you know that there is a genetic predisposition to cancer in your family, try to always pbad an exam health, "she said.
Cancer occurs when abnormal cells divide uncontrollably. Cancer, also called malignant tumor, is an abnormal growth of cells and can eventually spread to other tissues.
Some types of cancer result in rapid cell growth, while others result in slower cell growth and division. There are more than 200 different types of cancer. It develops anywhere in the body.
Cancer is a noncommunicable disease and the second leading cause of death in the world. There is no age limit as it can affect anyone, even a newborn baby. But survival rates improve for many types of cancer. This is due to improved screening and treatment.
Participants in the Abuja Cancer Awareness Walk
But Nigeria is still lagging behind in survival rate. This is due to many factors such as late detection, misdiagnosis, lack of medical expertise to treat patients, lack of chemotherapy facilities or radiation therapy devices, cost high cancer management, low government financial support and low awareness of the disease.
Although there is no concrete evidence of the causes / triggers of the disease, some predisposing factors, such as smoking, unhealthy lifestyles, alcohol consumption, air pollution, excessive exposure to radiation , viruses, genetic / hereditary factors, among others, have been reported.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 24.6 million people are living with cancer worldwide.
About 12.5% of all deaths are attributable to cancer. It is estimated that by 2020, 16 million new cases will be diagnosed each year, 70% of which will be in developing countries.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matsidiso Moeti, in commemoration of World Cancer Day in 2018, said that the burden of cancer in Africa is expected to increase due to the aging of the population, chronic infections, unhealthy lifestyles and risk factors.
According to her, about a third of cancer deaths are due to preventable risk factors such as being overweight, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, lack of physical activity, smoking and eating. alcohol.
In an effort to reduce the high rate of cancer deaths in Nigeria, Okaima Ohizua, executive director of Transcorp Hilton, advocated that cancer awareness and screening be conducted in rural areas where they have little or no knowledge or understanding of cancer. facilities needed to detect cancer at an early stage.
Participants in the Abuja Cancer Awareness Walk
Ms. Ohizua, who has lost two family members to various types of cancer, urged people to undergo a medical examination because early detection could have saved her father and sister.
She however lamented the lack of treatment facilities in the country and the high cost of treatments. She urged the government and the private sector to step up their efforts to reduce the suffering of people with cancer in Nigeria.
"The number of people dying of cancer each year is very high and we can make a difference, and to make a difference, we all need to be aware of cancer." Men and women need to know their status with respect to cancer. Cancer." ," she says.
The most common cancers are bad cancer, lung and bronchial cancer, prostate cancer, cancer of the colon and rectum, melanoma of the skin, bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kidney cancer and renal pelvis, endometrial cancer, leukemia, pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer. , and liver cancer, cervical cancer, among others.
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