Closing the care gap in cancer care in Nigeria: time to move from commemoration to a coordinated action

Cancer, a major noncommunicable disease

(NCD), is responsible for ill health,

disability and death of a significant

proportion of the population around the

world. About 20 million new cases and 9.7

million deaths were estimated to occur in

2022 and, given the prevailing conditions, it

is predicted that there will be more than 35

million new cases in 2050 - a 77% increase in

less than three decades. 1 The extant

measures and services to cater to the

victims of the disease, unfortunately, are

grossly inadequate and cannot cope with

the rapidly rising burden of the disease.

Controlling the disease demands a holistic

approach comprising four principal

components: prevention, early detection,

diagnosis and treatment, and palliative

2

care