Posted on: Mon 03-06-2024

The Federal Government plans to establish a nuclear medicine centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and cancer facilities across five geo-political zones as a means to revolutionise cancer management in the country.

LUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof Wasiu Adeyemo, disclosed at the cake-cutting event at the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority-Lagos University Teaching Hospital (NSIA-LUTH) Cancer Centre in Idi-Araba to celebrate five years of cancer care and groundbreaking achievements in Nigeria and Africa.

Adeyemo explained that due to the success recorded in the last five years by the cancer centre, the Federal Government has budgeted to establish standard state- of-the-art cancer management facilities across the remaining geo-political zones and an additional nuclear medicine centre at LUTH within the next 18 months.

He noted that since the centre started operations, there has been a need to establish a nuclear medical centre to make cancer management in the country more comprehensive. “We are celebrating success and the things that are possible in Nigeria using the right models. This model is what the Federal Government plans to adopt in running the facilities it plans to establish in other five new centres.”

“The facilities needed to monitor the progress of treatment and cancer management after diagnosis are to be made available through nuclear medicine like PET scan, SPECT scan, cyclotron and radiopharmacy. Cancer management starts with diagnosis, identification that a person has cancer followed by treatment and monitoring and without nuclear medicine, the care won’t be comprehensive.”

Adeyemo observed that the availability of the centre improved the treatment for most patients.

“When we started five years ago, about 60 to 70 per cent of cases were palliative cases meaning that cancer has spread and we just need to aid the patient to havea good quality of life until the patient is no more, but now, more than 65 to 70 percent of the cases are curative meaning that quite a large number of patients who know about the facilities come on time and their cancers are being cured.”

The Centre Director, NSIA-LUTH, Dr Lilian Ekpo, said the centre has modern equipment that minimises the side effects of radiation. Radiation kills the cancer cells and healthy tissues but because of the precision of the equipment and skills of our oncologists, radiation therapists and medical physicists, we can plan these cases and radiation treatments so that patients have minimal side effects and can live a healthier lifestyle.”

Speaking on the current cost of medical care and how it affects patients, Chief Clinical Oncologist, Prof Francis Etti, said it is affecting those with curable cases. “We try to raise funds to assist patients who cannot pay through Indigent Patients Scheme,” he said.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

---

---