Nigeria's healthcare system is grappling with a cancer diagnosis crisis, where late detection and misdiagnosis of cancer cases are costing lives. Despite campaigns encouraging Nigerians to seek early medical treatment, cancer is often misdiagnosed, with severe illnesses masquerading as common problems like diarrhea or ulcers. Patients frequently delay seeking urgent care, and months can elapse before clinicians consider cancer as a differential diagnosis.
According to Dr. Ololade Kehinde, Oncologist and Medical Director of Jacaranda Cancer Centre, gastric and colorectal cancers can initially resemble common gastrointestinal conditions, leading to misdiagnosis. Some patients are repeatedly treated for ulcers or other gastrointestinal complaints without an underlying cancer being recognized. Kehinde urges healthcare practitioners to maintain a high index of suspicion when symptoms persist or recur despite treatment.
Dr. Sam Kwis, Radiation and Clinical Oncologist and Chief Oncologist at Kano Cancer Treatment Centre, echoes Kehinde's concerns, stating that cancer can initially present with ordinary symptoms. Kwis advises Nigerians to pay attention to persistent, recurrent, unexplained, or progressively worse symptoms and encourages healthcare workers to reconsider initial diagnoses when patients do not improve as expected.
A 2025 study published in BMC Health Services Research found that the median interval between the first cancer symptom and diagnosis in Nigeria is 12 months. The study, led by Olufunke Fayehun, examined 264 patients with breast, colorectal, head and neck, and cervical cancers and revealed that patients spent a median of three months from first noticing symptoms to seeing a healthcare professional.
The study also found that patients visited a median of three health facilities before diagnosis, with a quarter of colorectal and cervical cancer patients visiting four or more centers. The median diagnostic delay for head and neck cancers was 15 months, highlighting the need for improved diagnostic efficiency.
Colorectal cancer illustrates the problem of misdiagnosis, with cases documented in both public and private healthcare facilities where the condition was initially attributed to conditions like hemorrhoids, ulcers, and typhoid. Recent cases from Ile-Ife demonstrate the consequences, with three patients eventually diagnosed with colorectal cancer after being treated for other conditions, requiring major surgery and prolonged chemotherapy.
Experts emphasize that age can create another diagnostic blind spot, with a study finding that 57.14% of colorectal cancer patients were below 50 years, and over 70% had aggressive variants of the disease. The consequences of advanced presentation are severe, with a 2024 study finding that about half of gastrointestinal cancer patients in Southwest Nigeria did not reach tertiary care until more than 90 days after symptoms began.
Key points
- Long delays in cancer diagnosis are common in Nigeria, with a median interval of 12 months between the first cancer symptom and diagnosis.
- Misdiagnosis of cancer cases is a significant challenge, with conditions like colorectal cancer often initially attributed to common gastrointestinal conditions.
- Age can create a diagnostic blind spot, with a high percentage of colorectal cancer patients being under 50 years old and having aggressive variants of the disease.
