The NSIA-LUTH cancer centre has organised its first-ever Brachytherapy summit to address the challenges faced by cancer patients and centres in Nigeria.
The summit also proposes innovative approaches to improve the treatment of cancer in the country.
According to the World Health Organization report, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and in Nigeria, prostate and cervical cancer remains part of the most common.
However, it has been discovered that routine screening, early detection, and treatment could prevent at least one-third of cancer deaths.
To address this, the Lagos State Teaching Hospital hosted the country’s first-ever Brachytherapy summit to propose novel strategies to improve cancer treatment in Nigeria.
They were also taught how to use radiation to treat cancerous tumors without harming healthy tissues in the body.
Despite the effectiveness of this innovation, patients have little or no access to the treatment as there are only 2 functional 3D Brachytherapy treatment centres in Nigeria.
As professionals from various fields attended the event, they also urged the government to improve the economy so that patients do not have to pay through the nose for this treatment.
