The federal government has underscored the importance of early cancer detection, saying the stage at which the disease is diagnosed determines the treatment approach and chances of cure.

Uchechukwu Nwokwu, National Coordinator, National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP), Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Nwokwu also explained how cancer progresses through four stages, adding that it is not a single disease but a group of diseases that could affect different organs and behave differently depending on the type of cancer and the cells from which it originated.

According to him, cancer begins when abnormal cells develop within a particular organ or body system, with the extent of spread determining its stage.

He said Stage One cancer referred to a disease that remained within the area where it originated and had not spread beyond that location.

“When the cancer may arise from a small cell inside the organ of a particular system of the body, and as long as it is within the area it originated, it is an early stage, stage one,” he said.

Mr Nwokwu said Stage Two occurs when the cancer has moved beyond its original area but remains confined within the affected organ.

He explained that Stage Three is when the disease has grown beyond the affected organ but remains within the same body system or surrounding region.

“For example, if a breast cancer is growing beyond the breast and affects the chest wall, which is hosting the breast, that’s Stage Three,” he said.

The coordinator said Stage Four is the most advanced stage, occurring when the cancer has spread from the original organ to other systems or distant parts of the body.

He said such a spread is known as metastasis.

“So when it leaves the whole of where it’s growing, it’s a different system, we call it metastasis. That’s stage four,” he said.

Mr Nwokwu explained that breast cancer, for instance, could spread to the brain, bones, liver or lungs, with tests showing that a tumour in those locations originated from the breast.

He said Stage Four cancer is particularly difficult to manage because treatment is no longer focused solely on the original organ.

“So that means you can see breast cancer affecting some in the brain. You can see a tumour in the brain that’s actually from the breast,” he said.

Mr Nwokwu said the stage at which cancer is detected has significant implications for treatment and the possibility of achieving a cure.

He explained that some stage one cancers could potentially be cured through surgery alone because the disease remained confined to its site of origin.

“If you have somebody who has a breast cancer in stage one, like I said, it’s still within where it started from,” he said.

“You might just cut off that place and do a surgery that can just take a small part of the normal tissue where it has not affected, and with that surgery alone, the person is completely cured of that cancer.”

According to him, surgery can also be effective for some stage two cancers because the disease remains confined to the organ.

He said stage two and stage three cancers could, however, require combinations of treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Mr Nwokwu explained that doctors could also use what is known as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy alongside surgery, depending on the patient’s condition.

He said targeted therapy is another treatment option for cancers driven by particular hormones or biological mechanisms.

The coordinator cited prostate cancer as an example, explaining that some patients could undergo removal of the testes to reduce testosterone, a hormone that could stimulate the growth of prostate cancer.

He, however, noted that some advanced prostate cancers could become resistant to this approach, a condition known as castration-resistant prostate cancer, requiring other medicines to control disease progression.

Mr Nwokwu said treatment of stage four cancer is more complex because the disease could involve several parts of the body.

He explained that chemotherapy could be useful in some circumstances because it is a systemic treatment that can reach cancer cells throughout the body.

He, however, said that radiotherapy had to be applied more selectively depending on where the cancer had spread and the patient’s overall condition.

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Mr Nwokwu emphasised that the differences in treatment across the stages reinforced the importance of detecting cancer early, before it spreads beyond the organ where it originated.

He said early diagnosis allowed doctors to determine the stage of the disease and select the most appropriate combination of treatment modalities.

The coordinator also emphasised that cancer treatment should be individualised because cancers affecting the same organ could behave differently depending on their biological characteristics.

He urged Nigerians to seek medical attention promptly when they notice unusual symptoms and to follow appropriate screening and diagnostic recommendations to improve the chances of detecting cancer at an early stage.
(NAN)

The federal government has deployed an emergency multi-agency task force to strengthen surveillance, close immunisation gaps and expand access to treatment following diphtheria outbreaks in Kano and Katsina states.

Ado Bako, an Assistant Director in the Information and Public Relations Department of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

According to the statement, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, directed the establishment of the task force as part of efforts to protect children and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks.

“The federal government reaffirms its resolve to protect Nigerian children from vaccine preventable diseases and remains committed to a swift, coordinated and evidence based response to bring the outbreak under control,” the statement said.

The development follows reports of deaths among children in Rano Local Government Area of Kano State.

On Wednesday, a lawmaker in the Kano State House of Assembly raised the alarm over a severe diphtheria outbreak in the area and called for urgent intervention.

Diphtheria

Diphtheria is a serious and highly contagious bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

The infection spreads mainly through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, as well as through close contact with an infected person.

Common symptoms include fever, sore throat and the development of a thick grey or white membrane in the throat, which can obstruct breathing. Severe cases can cause complications such as heart and nerve damage.

Vaccination with diphtheria toxoid containing vaccines, including the pentavalent vaccine routinely administered to infants, remains the most effective protection against the disease.

Nigeria has recorded more than 40,000 suspected diphtheria cases and over 1,000 deaths since the outbreak began in 2022.

Multi agency response

The newly established task force will coordinate the federal and state response and comprises the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), affected state governments and international health partners.

The committee will be jointly led by the Director General of the NCDC and the Director of Public Health, who will serve as co chairs.

Its members include representatives of the NPHCDA; health commissioners from Katsina, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto states; the World Health Organisation (WHO); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme in Katsina.

The ministry’s chief epidemiologist will serve as secretary of the committee.

Vaccination and treatment

The task force will focus on containing the outbreak by investigating cases, strengthening disease surveillance and intensifying community sensitisation.

It will also work to identify and immunise children who have not received the required vaccines, particularly in communities where immunity gaps may be contributing to the spread of the disease.

As part of the immediate response, the NPHCDA has deployed 500,000 doses of vaccines to Kano and Katsina states.

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Beyond vaccination, the task force is working with the Katsina State government to establish hospital treatment annexes across the Katsina, Daura and Funtua senatorial districts.

The annexes are expected to facilitate early treatment and bring care closer to affected communities.

Emergency support is also being mobilised for referral services at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina, which serves as the primary treatment centre for the state and neighbouring areas.

The support includes supplies of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT), intravenous antibiotics, additional clinical personnel and personal protective equipment (PPE).

The task force will provide the minister with weekly updates on the response, including emerging challenges and additional requirements, to ensure that identified bottlenecks are promptly addressed.