Nigeria is facing a disturbing and unprecedented rise in cancer cases among young people, with children as young as 12 years old now being diagnosed, the President of the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, has exclusively revealed.
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise ahead of World Cancer Day, the expert disclosed that reviewed data from national cancer registries shows a surge in teenagers developing colorectal cancer—a disease typically common in older adults. Breast and blood cancers are also rising alarmingly among the youth.
"Unlike what we observed in the past... We have younger people aged 15, 12, 13, and 25 coming down with cancer," Prof. Omonisi stated. He attributed the trend to increased environmental exposure to carcinogens: "For the blood cancer malignancy, we have noticed an interaction between Nigerians and chemicals. Farmers use herbicides and pesticides."
The crisis is exacerbated by a severe lack of infrastructure and planning at the state level. The NCS President revealed a governance failure, noting, "In more than 30 states in the country, they have no state cancer control plan." This leaves millions without access to diagnosis or treatment.
Furthermore, he raised the alarm over major pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer exiting Nigeria, which has led to inflated prices and scarcity of vital cancer drugs. "Accessing their drugs... will be through middlemen, and you know the implications of that," he said.
Prof. Omonisi called for urgent government intervention, including zero-interest loans and import duty waivers for private oncology centres that are bridging critical gaps. He emphasized that sustained collaboration is essential to reverse the tide against the disease, which, according to the Global Cancer Observatory, claimed 79,542 lives in Nigeria in 2022 alone.
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