By Asmau Ahmad
A Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist, Dr. Jumoke Ogunro said late presentation, dearth of experts and inadequate medical facilities were major challenges facing the management of ovarian cancer in the country.
Dr. Ogunro, who works at a Lagos-based hospital, Alpha Assisted Reproductive clinic, told media in Lagos that about 75 per cent of patients with ovarian cancer presented their cases at advanced stages.
“This is because in the early stages of the disease, women either have no symptoms or have minimal non-specific symptoms such as indigestion, heartburn, feeling bloated and tiredness.
“Usually, the woman sufferer would have been in and out of the hospital for treatment of other health conditions. The non-specific symptoms in the early stages of the disease coupled with ineffective early detection tests make women present the ailment at advanced stages,” she said.
The consultant said that inadequate gynaecologic oncologists also contributed to the challenges of managing ovarian cancer in the country.
According to her, surgical treatment of ovarian cancer is best performed by gynaecologic oncologists, but unfortunately, some are being performed by unskilled doctors who give the patients sub-optimal treatment.
“There are other peculiar challenges in the diagnosis and management of ovarian cancer, including poverty and cultural beliefs of the women. Presently, with the economic recession, most Nigerians cannot afford to go to the centres where they will be properly managed.
“Also, the cost of anti-cancer drugs being used in its management is very high and most patients cannot afford it, especially with the follow-up treatment. Some women, upon diagnosis, live in denial; others run to the herbalists, unorthodox practitioners in search of a cure, only to return to the hospital when little or nothing can be done,” she said.
Ogunro said that the real prevalence of ovarian cancer in Nigeria was unknown due to under-reporting and lack of a functional cancer register.
She said the 2009 publication of cancer register and epidemiology stated that ovarian accounts for 4.9 per cent of new cancer cases in Nigerian females.
The consultant said the actual cause of ovarian cancer was not known, but the risk factors associated with it include genetics, obesity, age, diet, among others.
