Closing the gap to improve cancer survival in Nigeria

Nigeria’s rising cancer burden has once again come under sharp focus, as the National Cancer Intervention Fund (NCIF) called for sustainable and transparent financing mechanisms to curb preventable cancer deaths across the country. The appeal, made to mark World Cancer Day 2026, underscores a growing consensus among health experts that cancer in Nigeria is as much a financing and access crisis as it is a medical one.

Speaking in Abuja, Chairman of the NCIF Governing Council, Dr Gafar Alawode, said Nigeria could significantly reduce cancer-related deaths if funding for prevention, early detection and treatment was prioritised and equitably deployed. His call aligns with the 2026 World Cancer Day theme, “United by Unique,” which highlights the reality that while cancer affects individuals differently, everyone deserves timely access to quality care. “Cancer may be a unique journey for every patient, but access to prevention, early detection and treatment must not depend on income, geography or social status,” Alawode said. “No Nigerian should be denied lifesaving cancer care because they cannot afford it.”

The scale of the challenge is stark. According to the GLOBOCAN 2022 report, Nigeria records about 127,763 new cancer cases every year, with an estimated 79,542 cancer-related deaths annually. GLOBOCAN, managed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), provides one of the most comprehensive pictures of the global cancer burden, drawing from population-based cancer registries across 185 countries.

In Nigeria, breast, prostate and cervical cancers remain the most commonly diagnosed, with women accounting for a higher proportion of cases overall. Yet beyond the numbers lies a more troubling reality: too many patients arrive at hospitals when it is already too late. Alawode noted that late presentation remains one of the strongest drivers of Nigeria’s high cancer mortality rate. Studies indicate that between 70 and 75 per cent of cancer patients in the country present at advanced stages—Stages III and IV—when treatment options are limited, more expensive, and outcomes are often poor. “Many of these deaths are preventable,” he said. “Early detection saves lives, but only if people can access screening services and afford treatment when cancer is found.”

For many Nigerian families, cost is the biggest barrier. Cancer care often requires repeated diagnostic tests, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or long-term medication—expenses that are largely paid out-of-pocket. In a country where health insurance coverage remains limited, a cancer diagnosis can quickly become a financial catastrophe, forcing families to sell property, exhaust savings or abandon treatment altogether. Health experts warn that this financial strain does not only affect patients; it weakens the entire health system. When people delay care because of cost, cancers progress, treatment becomes more complex, and survival rates fall. The result is a cycle of late presentation, high mortality and rising social and economic losses.

It is this cycle that the NCIF hopes to break. Alawode said the Fund is committed to strengthening cancer prevention and control by expanding access to affordable services across the cancer care continuum—from prevention and screening to diagnosis and treatment. “Sustainable financing is not optional; it is essential,” he stressed. “Without it, screening programmes cannot scale, diagnostic centres cannot function optimally, and treatment remains out of reach for the people who need it most.”

Alawode called on all stakeholders—federal and state governments, healthcare providers, development partners, community leaders and individuals—to play their part in addressing the growing cancer burden. “A coordinated and inclusive response is the only way forward,” he said. “When government policy, health systems, community awareness and individual action align, we can translate personal cancer stories into collective progress.”

Public health advocates argue that such coordination must include stronger screening programmes for common cancers, better public awareness to dispel myths and fear, improved referral systems, and financing models that protect families from catastrophic health spending.