Cancer Morbidity in Nigerian Females: The Need for a Grassroots Approach to its Prevention and Early Detection

Abstract

Background: Cancer is increasingly becoming a major cause of morbidity and mortality, aggravated among women in developing countries because of increasing longevity, population growth and lack of capacity for treatment. Aim: To highlight the cancer burden among Nigerian females and emphasize the need for a grassroots approach towards prevention and early detection. Study design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Methodology: The study was retrospective, analysing data from histopathology reports of cases of cancer in females as diagnosed over 20 years (2000-2019) in the Department of Anatomical Pathology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Results: Over 56% of all cancers affected females with 64.9% of cases in the 4th-6th decades. Cancers of the breast, uterine cervix, colon and rectum, uterine corpus, ovary, haematopoietic and lymphoreticular system, and thyroid contributed 36.8%, 20.5%, 4.9%, 3.3%, 2.7%, 2.2% and 2.2% of cancers respectively. Conclusion: Cancer among Nigerian females is increasing in incidence in the face of the existing weak treatment framework. There is urgent need to invest in cancer prevention and early detection strategies using grassroots-oriented and pre-existing structures to achieve a  reversal of this ugly trend.