IBADAN – The Nigerian Prostate Cancer Research Agency is to develop a research agenda on the disease for the country, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Prof. Olufemi Ogunbiyi, the Vice President (West Africa), African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), said this on Thursday in Ibadan while speaking with NAN.
According to Ogunbiyi, a Consultant Pathologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, prostrate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed solid tumour and has high fatality rate in men.
He said the resolution to design a cancer research agenda for the country was taken at a recent symposium convened by the Nigerian Men’s Cancer Consortium at Covenant University, Ota.
The don said Nigerian men carry the highest burden of prostate cancer with a mortality rate of 16. 6 per cent per 100, 000 men. [eap_ad_2] Ogunbiyi, however, said research findings on the disease were not adequately chronicled and published, adding that no national data were available.
“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 amongst Nigerian men.
“National data on the burden of the disease was quite lacking and despite frequency of this disease, there was variability with projected poor outcome of deaths among patients.
“The ability to detect the disease early was limited by the absence of multidisciplinary treatment planning for cancer in Nigeria and inadequate number of palliative care centres,’’ he said.
Ogunbiyi said a national consortium would be effectively put in place to set goals and formulate policies for prostate cancer treatment and research in the country.
He appealed to government at all levels to assist the consortium to strengthen its activities and provide necessary infrastructure for its work. (NAN) [eap_ad_3]