Experts Call for Better Support, Treatment for Women with Cancer

Cancer care specialists in Nigeria have issued an urgent call for coordinated efforts to improve access, training, and innovation in gynaecological brachytherapy.

 

This appeal was made in a statement released on Monday by MEDSERVE-LUTH Cancer Centre during a stakeholders’ gathering in Lagos for the third Brachytherapy Summit hosted by the Centre.

 

Under the theme, “Advancing Gynaecological Brachytherapy in Nigeria: Bridging Gaps Through Innovation, Collaboration, and Skill Enhancement,” the summit highlighted the critical need to address persistent treatment gaps that continue to undermine the survival rates and quality of life of women battling gynaecological cancers in the country.

 

Chief Clinical Coordinator at MLCC, Dr Muhammad Habeebu, delivering the opening address, described the summit as more than a professional meeting — it was a call to action.

 

“Innovation must be more than a buzzword; it must be practical, applied, and life-saving. Collaboration must move beyond intention to action. And skill enhancement must become a sustained commitment across our institutions,” he said.

 

Dr Habeebu emphasised the importance of the recent hands-on training on 3D brachytherapy conducted at the centre, which provided clinicians with practical experience and demonstrated the transformative impact of capacity building.

 

He also highlighted the conference’s subtheme on survivorship care, stressing the importance of addressing the psychological and sexual health needs of cancer survivors.

 

“Survivorship is not merely about life after treatment; it is about living well after cancer. We must ensure survivors are treated with dignity, sensitivity, and clinical excellence.

 

“Every idea we share today could resonate in the life of a patient tomorrow,” Dr Habeebu added.

 

Consultant Clinical and Radiation Oncologist and Head of the Brachytherapy Unit at NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre, Dr Bolanle Adegboyega, underscored the summit’s strategic significance.

 

“The third Brachytherapy Summit represents a pivotal moment in our collective effort to transform cancer care in Nigeria and other low- and middle-income countries,” she said.

 

“Access, awareness, and training gaps continue to limit the reach and impact of this essential treatment. This year’s summit, focused on overcoming barriers to access, is not just a professional gathering—it is a movement to close the inequity gap in gynaecological cancer care.”

 

Dr Adegboyega further urged stakeholders to strive for a future where brachytherapy is not a privilege but a guaranteed right for all women who need it.

 

The statement noted that the summit attracted oncologists, medical physicists, gynaecologists, nurses, researchers, and policy advocates from Nigeria and abroad.

 

It added that a panel discussion addressed systemic barriers to treatment access, with delegates recommitting to translate dialogue into action by advocating for improved infrastructure, expanded local training programmes, and policies prioritising equitable cancer care.

 

Partners acknowledged during the event included TANIT Medical Engineering and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, whose support was instrumental to the summit’s success.

 

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