‘Colon cancer, a leading cause of death in Nigeria’
Bukola Adebayo
The Chairperson, Niola Cancer Care
Foundation, Mrs. Eniola Salu, has identified colon cancer as the fourth
common cause of cancer-related deaths in the country.
Salu, who spoke during a visit to the
cancer care ward at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja,
by the foundation, attributed the deaths to poor awareness of the
symptoms of the disease and late diagnosis.
She noted that many cases are often
misdiagnosed in the nation’s hospitals as health practitioners also need
to be trained to
pick the symptoms of the bowel disease early.
According to Salu, the organisation is
set to create screening centres in all the six geo-political zones of
the country to ensure early detection of colon problems.
She said, “Having screening centres for
colon cancer in the six geo-political zones is a long term project of
the foundation, but we have to start now. The rate at which people are
dying as a result of colon cancer is too much and it is the type of
cancer that could be survived if detected and treated early.”
The foundation which advocates for a better cancer care also donated food items and clothing to cancer patients at the hospital.
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