Plights of Nigerians with most cancers worsen as therapy prices soar
The previous fifteen years, for a household in Lagos, have been marked by an unrelenting sample of most cancers diagnoses occurring each 5 years.
It started in 2010, when Chukwuma, a vibrant 24-year-old architect, was recognized with bone marrow most cancers.
The stunning analysis launched the household right into a battle towards the illness, one which drained them financially and emotionally.
Despite their relentless efforts, Chukwuma succumbed to the sickness in 2015, leaving a void of their lives.
Barely a 12 months after his passing, tragedy struck once more in 2016 when the household’s patriarch was recognized with jaw most cancers.
The illness later metastasized, spreading to his prostate and different organs. The household rallied as soon as extra, however their efforts proved futile as he handed away in 2019.
Five years later, in 2024, the cycle continued.
The mom of the household was recognized with superior uterine most cancers.
Her late analysis left the household with restricted therapy choices, compelling them to hunt care at a personal most cancers therapy middle in Victoria Island, Lagos.
“There, we paid N3.5 million just for admission and initial diagnostics,” stated Chukwuma’s mom.
“This amount doesn’t include the cost of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgeries. We’ve been informed that I will need to undergo ten radiation sessions, which will cost between N1.6 million and N2 million.”
Many Nigerians like Chukwuma’s household are additionally relentlessly preventing for survival, with no reprieve from the illness’s shadow.
Alarming statistics on Nigeria’s most cancers burden
According to the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Nigeria information over 120,000 new most cancers circumstances yearly.
- In 2020, roughly 78,000 Nigerians misplaced their lives to cancer-related issues, with 44,699 deaths amongst females and 34,200 amongst males.
- The most cancers burden is anticipated to extend considerably, with over 35 million new circumstances projected by 2050.
- This rising world most cancers burden displays each inhabitants getting older and development, in addition to modifications in folks’s publicity to danger elements.
“The rising cancer burden in Nigeria has become a disturbing trend, with a growing number of cases being diagnosed across hospitals,” stated Francis Durosinmi-Etti, Chief Clinical and Radiation Oncologist on the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
“I’ve witnessed an explosion in cancer cases, particularly prostate cancer, which is affecting many men. Unfortunately, many of these cases are diagnosed too late, severely impacting treatment outcomes,” stated Durosinmi-Etti, additionally the Chairman of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Consult Nigeria Limited (RANMED).
- He identified different frequent cancers, reminiscent of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, the latter of that are more and more affecting youthful people.
“We’re now seeing colorectal cancer in people as young as 24, and even children are not spared. It’s a worrying trend, and we are still trying to understand the underlying causes.”
“The high cost of cancer care remains a major barrier for many Nigerians, a single round of chemotherapy can cost over a million naira, which is unaffordable for many,” Durosinmi-Etti stated.
Cancer therapy in Nigeria represents one of the vital catastrophic healthcare expenditures (CHE), with prices constantly rising. Treatment prices range considerably relying on the kind of most cancers, stage of analysis, and the hospital’s location. The devaluation of the naira has additional worsened the scenario.
Systemic challenges behind excessive prices
Experts attribute the excessive prices of most cancers therapy in Nigeria to the heavy reliance on imported medical tools and insufficient public healthcare infrastructure.
Additionally, 4 of the 5 most costly most cancers medicine are sorts of immunotherapies, highlighting developments in most cancers therapy, in accordance with specialists.
The rising price of most cancers therapy
Findings reveal vital variations in the price of prostate most cancers therapy and entry to important medicine. For occasion, Radium-223, a drug used to increase survival when prostate most cancers has metastasized to the bones, prices between $43,000 and $57,000 (roughly N66.4 million to N88 million) for a six-cycle therapy.
- Other therapies, reminiscent of docetaxel (Taxotere), price round $1,450 (N2.2 million) per cycle. On common, chemotherapy medicine price between N600,000 and N1.5 million per dose. For sufferers requiring eight chemotherapy classes yearly, the whole price might attain N12 million, a sum far past the common annual revenue in Nigeria.
- Surgical prices for prostate most cancers additionally range relying on the process sort. Open prostatectomy prices vary from N500,000 to N1.2 million, whereas laparoscopic and robotic-assisted prostatectomies are priced between N1 million and N2.5 million. Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) procedures price between N400,000 and N800,000.
“The cost of cancer treatment in the country has skyrocketed into millions of naira in recent years, covering expenses for comprehensive cancer care,” stated Durosinmi-Etti.
The pricey highway to restoration: Elizabeth’s Story
Elizabeth Awo-Ejeh, now in remission, endured eight rounds of chemotherapy and 25 classes of radiation throughout her battle with breast most cancers.
“Each session tested my strength and determination. While I am in remission, it could last months, years, or even the rest of my life. Doctors may consider me ‘cured’ if I remain in complete remission for five years or more,” she stated.
- Elizabeth recounted how her life took an surprising flip after her marriage in 2020. “I dreamed of building a family with my husband, but during a routine self-check, I discovered a lump in my breast. Initially, I dismissed it as harmless, but when it persisted and grew, I knew something was wrong,” she stated.
- In 2022, at simply 25 years previous, Elizabeth was recognized with stage 2 breast most cancers. However, it took six months of hospital visits, inconclusive checks, and mounting anxiousness earlier than her analysis was confirmed. “The delay not only worsened my condition but also left me emotionally and physically drained,” she defined.
- The monetary pressure was overwhelming for Elizabeth and her husband.
“We were pushed to our financial limits. Desperate for help, I turned to social media to share my story and appeal for support. A cancer foundation responded, providing crucial financial assistance for my treatment,” she stated.
Now in remission, Elizabeth is decided to make use of her expertise to encourage different girls and advocate for self-examinations and early analysis.
“Early detection saved my life, and I want others to know it can save theirs too,” she added.
Urgent requires intervention
Durosinmi-Etti emphasised the significance of prevention and early detection in combating most cancers.
“We are working towards a future where fewer people suffer from cancer, and those who do can access the treatment they need to survive,” he stated.
An oncology pharmacist additionally make clear the monetary burden of most cancers therapies, describing them as prohibitively costly.
“This financial barrier prevents many patients from accessing continuous treatment, leading to potentially devastating health outcomes,” the pharmacist defined.
He known as for pressing interventions to cut back out-of-pocket bills, negotiate decrease drug costs, and lift public consciousness about most cancers prevention and early detection.
