LAGOS – Mrs Rose Adeleke, the Convener of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), on Friday, urged Nigerians to support the war against cancer.
She made the call at the funeral mass of late Dame Oluremi Oyo, the immediate past Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Oyo died on Oct. 1.
Adeleke, who said that cancer was deadlier than Ebola, added that no fewer than 240 Nigerians die every day of cancer.
She said two out of every three cancer patients die in the U.S., while the situation was worse in Nigeria, where only one out of five cancer patients survived.
She added that late detection of cancer had contributed to many deaths in Nigeria.
“The Nigeria cancer statistics is among the worst globally, and a major reason for this poor outcome is late detection.
“We must all mobilise to fight this cancer menace because many cancer deaths are preventable.
“According to World Health Organization (WHO), one third of cancer cases are preventable, another one-third is curable and the last third can have good quality of life with appropriate care.’’
She urged Nigerians to scale up the war against cancer by creating awareness about the disease and screening.
Adeleke said CECP had taken the campaign against cancer to the grassroots through the establishment of Mobile Cancer Centres (MCC).
She explained that a MCC had all the equipment required for screening nine common diseases that could predispose one to the risk of cancer.
She listed some of the diseases to include malaria, diabetes, hepatitis, kidney disease, hypertension and HIV/AIDS.
She urged Nigerians to support CECP in the acquisition of an MCC, which costs N95 million. (NAN)
