Childhood Cancer: Foundation seeks stronger awareness, early detection
Childhood Cancer: Foundation seeks stronger awareness, early detection
Children Living with Cancer Foundation (CLWCF) has urged stronger awareness, early detection, and government-backed support to reduce childhood cancer fatalities in Nigeria.
The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) reports that the foundation marked its 15th Annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Walk in Lagos with a march from Lagos University Teaching Hospital to Surulere.
Speaking at the event, CLWCF Founder, Dr Nneka Nwobi, said the 2025 theme, ‘Diagnosis: No Child Left Behind’, stressed urgent action against misdiagnosis and delayed detection.
She noted that the prohibitive cost of treatment continues to devastate many families, despite signs of progress in tackling childhood cancers nationwide.
“Childhood cancer should not be a death sentence. Early detection significantly improves survival, yet too many children are diagnosed late or misdiagnosed.
“One parent shared that he spent over ₦25 million in one year to save his child. This is unacceptable – no family should face ruin,” Nwobi said.
The foundation highlighted milestones, including Nigeria’s first national Childhood Cancer Registry, launched in December 2023, which now tracks cases, treatment outcomes, and supports data-driven planning.
Nwobi commended Lagos State for advancing treatment, noting improved cure rates and the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre at LUTH, initially for sickle cell but expanding to childhood cancers.
She also stressed the psychosocial toll of cancer, explaining that CLWCF offers counselling, art therapy, and support groups for children, parents, and caregivers beyond medical treatment.
Calling for government reforms, she said treatment for childhood cancers should be subsidised, if not entirely free, to ease families’ financial burden.
“We welcome federal funding for cancer treatment, but childhood cancers must be prioritised. These children are our future adults,” she emphasised.
This year’s Awareness Month began with a symbolic gold balloon release – gold being the global colour for childhood cancer – and also featured a webinar.
The webinar brought together doctors, professors, parents, and medical experts to share strategies for earlier diagnosis and improved care nationwide.
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Nwobi urged Nigerians to extend support beyond September, stressing: “Awareness must be continuous, because every day matters in saving a child’s life.”
Personal testimonies highlighted the importance of early intervention.
Mrs Chioma Agu, mother of a survivor, warned parents: “Don’t rely on self-medication or prayers. If you notice anything unusual, go to hospital immediately.”
Her daughter was diagnosed with kidney cancer at six but is now almost 16 and thriving.
Another parent, Mrs Ijeoma Nwuche, recalled how her son survived leukaemia in spite of severe emotional and financial strain.
“Doctors told me it was early stage and he could survive. Today, 10 years later, he is alive and healthy,” Nwuche said.
She urged parents never to ignore warning signs and to seek prompt medical care.
