National Cancer Prevention Program NCPP
  1. CANCER — A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH OF MANKIND
  • Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are now responsible for over 70% of global deaths each year, with cancer being a leading cause of death and the single most important barrier to increasing life expectancy in every country of the world in the 21stcentury.
  • One out of five persons will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime
  • Cancer is now responsible for one out of every six deaths globally
  • Globally, Cancer kills more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined
  1. CANCER —A GROWING EPIDEMIC
  • The worldwide burden of cancer doubled between 1975 and 2000, doubled again between 2000 and 2020 and is set to nearly triple by 2030.
  • It is projected that by 2030, one out of every two persons will be diagnosed of cancer in their lifetime
  • In contract, deaths from infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS will decline by 7 million every year
  1. CANCER — A MAJOR PLAGUE IN NIGERIA
  • In 2022 nearly 130,000 Nigerians were diagnosed with cancer, and about 80,000 died from the disease.
  • The Nigerian death rate of over 60% is on of the worst worldwide.
  • For example, cervical cancer which is virtually 100 per cent preventable kills about 20 women every day in Nigeria. Prostate cancer kills 32 Nigerian men every day.
  1. CANCER — THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE ILLNESS

  • Cancer’s economic toll was $1.16 trillion in 2010 (up from $895 billion in 2008 — equivalent to 1.5 percent of the world’s gross domestic product).

  • Nigerians spend $1 billion annually to seek treatment abroad

  • Corporate organizations in Nigeria expend a lot of funds on treating preventable cancers among their employees every year

  1. CANCER —THE GREATEST CAUSE OF INEQUALITY IN GLOBAL HEALTH
  • 70% of cancer deaths take place in poor countries due to lack of funding to deal with the problems.
  • Only 5% of global resources for cancer are spent in developing countries.
  • Cancer hits the poor and vulnerable particularly hard, and drive them deeper into poverty
  1. CANCER —-NIGERIA’S HEALTH SYSTEM IS ILL PREPARED TO DEAL WITH IT
  • Nigeria now has the second lowest life expectancy in the world (down from the seventh lowest in 2018)
  • India has over 200 comprehensive cancer centres (CCC); Nigeria has none. Several smaller African nations such as Egypt, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania also have CCC.
  • In the absence of CCC, most Nigerians have no access to optimal cancer treatment.
  1. CANCER —-MOST RELATED DEATHS CAN BE PREVENTED 
  • 1/3 of all cancers can be prevented
  • another 1/3 can be effectively cured with early diagnosis
  • palliative care can improve the quality of life of the last third of cancer patients
  1. CANCER —DEMANDS FULL-SCALE WAR!
  • We should ACT! (Attack Cancer Today!) because every Nigerian deserves to live long enough to retire, to attend their children’s graduations or weddings, to see their grandchildren, and to enjoy the fruits of their labour. 
  • We will ACT!! (Attack Cancer Together!!) because cancer could afflict anyone, irrespective of age, sex or social class
  • We must ACT! (Attack Cancer Totally!!!) because only through a full-scale WAR can we defeat the cancer menace in Nigeria.