Roundtable on Black in cancer research and oncology

So Nigeria is one of the underserved regions of the world, and the country is a major contributor to cancer burden in the African continent. As some of you may be aware, in Nigeria, over 120,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every single year, and over 70,000 people die from this disease. This high mortality rate is due to the fact that 70% of people diagnosed with cancer are diagnosed at a very late stage, typically stage three or stage four.

Late diagnosis of cancer is a widespread issue in Africa and many low and middle-income countries. Scholars, policymakers, and stakeholders often refer to this problem using the catchphrase "delayed diagnosis". It is impossible to attend a conference anywhere in the world discussing Africa without hearing this term. Unfortunately, in many cases, people use the concept of late diagnosis to blame the cancer patients in these regions.

I want to emphasize that most cancer patients are not responsible for their late diagnosis. The weak cancer health system, including a lack of national cancer screening, limited diagnosis and treatment capacity, and other factors, are to blame for the delayed detection. Instead of placing blame on the patients, we should focus on addressing the shortcomings of the health system.