Nigeria calls for early cancer detection
Uchechukwu Nwokwu, national coordinator of the National Cancer Control Plan at Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, urged residents of the country to seek medical care when unusual symptoms appear and undergo recommended examinations. According to him, the stage at which cancer is diagnosed determines the treatment approach and chances of recovery, Premium Times Nigeria reports.
Stages of cancer spread
Nwokwu explained that cancer is a group of diseases that can affect different organs and develop differently depending on the type of cancer and the cells from which it originates. According to him, the disease begins with the appearance of abnormal cells in a particular organ or body system, while the stage is determined by the extent of its spread.
According to the official’s description, at the first stage, cancer remains at the site where it originated. At the second stage, it extends beyond the initial area but is still limited to the affected organ. The third stage means it has spread beyond the organ within the same body system or to an adjacent area. Nwokwu cited breast cancer that has spread to the chest wall as an example.
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Treatment depends on the stage
The fourth stage is the most extensive: cancer moves from the primary organ to other systems or distant parts of the body. This process is called metastasis. Nwokwu noted that breast cancer can spread to the brain, bones, liver, or lungs, and tests can establish that tumors in these areas originated in the breast.
According to the coordinator, some cases of first-stage cancer can be cured through surgery alone because the disease is localized. For second- and third-stage cancers, a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy may be used, as well as neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment. Treatment at the fourth stage is more difficult because several parts of the body are affected: chemotherapy can work systemically, while radiation therapy is used selectively, taking into account the spread of the disease and the patient’s condition.
Nwokwu added that treatment should be individualized, since even cancer of the same organ can have different biological characteristics.
