{"id":1498,"date":"2026-07-14T21:01:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T20:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1498"},"modified":"2026-07-14T21:04:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T20:04:42","slug":"cancer-cases-rising-among-young-adults-in-nigeria-health-experts-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1498","title":{"rendered":"Cancer Cases Rising Among Young Adults In Nigeria, Health Experts Warn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Favour Palmer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cancer is increasingly becoming a major public health challenge in Nigeria, with health experts expressing concern over the growing number of cases among young adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once regarded as a disease that primarily affected older people, cancer is now being diagnosed more frequently among individuals in their twenties, thirties, and forties, raising alarm across the healthcare sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to available health statistics, Nigeria records approximately 128,000 new cancer cases and over 80,000 cancer-related deaths annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breast and cervical cancers are the most common among women, while prostate cancer is the most prevalent among men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical professionals warn that these figures could rise further if awareness, early detection, and access to treatment are not improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts attribute the increasing incidence among young adults to unhealthy lifestyles, tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, poor dietary habits, physical inactivity, environmental pollution, and genetic predisposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO: DELSU Students Risk Health Amid Examination Pressure<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major challenge to cancer control in Nigeria remains late presentation at health facilities. Many patients ignore early warning signs or resort to self-medication and traditional remedies before seeking professional care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, a significant number of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages when treatment options are limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miss Treasure, a 200-level Broadcasting student of Delta State University, said many young people lack adequate information about the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t gone for any medical screening concerning cancer and I am aware that cancer affects individuals of all ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have good awareness of cancer and I would like to recommend that schools and society should create awareness campaigns for both students and the general public so they can have more knowledge,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Mrs. Benado, a medical physician, also noted that ignorance, superstitious beliefs, and low income levels contribute to late diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany students are unaware of the causes of cancer. The reason why cancer is being diagnosed late is due to ignorance, superstitious belief and income level,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO: Living For Likes: The Silent Pressure Of Young Nigerians<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that cancer can develop from daily consumption of over-processed foods, genetic disorders, and family history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early symptoms such as lumps in the breast for breast cancer and skin discoloration for skin cancer should not be ignored, she said, and urged schools and communities to intensify awareness campaigns for students and young adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The financial burden of cancer treatment remains a serious concern. Most patients rely on personal savings and family support because health insurance coverage for cancer care is limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The high cost of diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and medication often forces some patients to discontinue treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, specialized cancer treatment centers, trained oncologists, and advanced diagnostic equipment are concentrated mainly in major cities. This limits access for residents of rural communities and contributes to poor treatment outcomes and higher mortality rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health professionals emphasize that awareness and early detection remain the most effective tools against cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are urging young adults to adopt healthy lifestyles, avoid tobacco, engage in regular physical activity, maintain balanced diets, and undergo routine medical screenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stakeholders are also calling for increased public education, stronger healthcare policies, improved access to affordable treatment, and greater investment in cancer research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs cancer continues to claim thousands of lives annually, urgent and coordinated action is needed to reduce its burden,\u201d experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough awareness, prevention, early detection, and improved access to quality healthcare, countless lives can be saved and a healthier future ensured for Nigerians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a related development, a medical doctor at Delta State University (DELSU) Health Services has warned that Lassa fever remains one of Nigeria\u2019s most serious public health threats, urging Nigerians to maintain proper hygiene and seek prompt medical attention whenever symptoms appear.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the disease,\u00a0Dr. Ovie\u00a0of DELSU Health Services, Abraka, said Lassa fever continues to pose significant health risks across the country due to its mode of transmission and the dangers associated with delayed treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Favour Palmer Cancer is increasingly becoming a major public health challenge in Nigeria, with health experts expressing concern over the growing number of cases among young adults. Once regarded as a disease that primarily affected older people, cancer is now being diagnosed more frequently among individuals in their twenties, thirties, and forties, raising alarm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":53,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,14],"tags":[31,395,33],"class_list":["post-1498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcorner","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-cancer","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1498"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1501,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions\/1501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}