Lagos: The Society for Cellular Pathology Scientists of Nigeria (SCPSN) has called for the adoption of ‘Genomic Testing’ for improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer disease in Nigeria.
The National President of SCPSN, Dr Jonathan Madukwe, made the call at the eighth International Scientific Conference/Annual General Meeting of the association on Tuesday in Lagos.
The conference has the theme: “Application of Genomic Testing for Improved Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Cancer.”
Madukwe described genomic testing as a more advanced method in the management of cancer disease that involves genetic, molecular and heterogeneous information/causative factors of cancer.
He, however, identified lifestyle changes, environmental and dietary factors as major contributing elements of cancer disease.
According to him, people should be mindful of the lifestyle, environmental and dietary risk factors of cancer; identify them and try as much as possible to avoid them.
“It has been evident that over the past 10 years, the environment and lifestyle have rapidly been changing, and these changes have contributed to changes in cancer cells, resulting in a rise in cancer cases.
“So, it is imperative that people identify the lifestyle changes, environmental and dietary factors that can expose one to the risk of cancer disease and avoid them.
“Presently, several screening tools are being made available, and one of them is the Genomic Testing, which is very effective in the treatment of cancer because it provides information about the root causative agent or the genetic cause of a tumour.
“But, in doing all of these, early detection is key in the management and prevention of cancer. Maintaining regular screening is paramount to detect when one is at risk,” Madukwe said.
A Professor of Anaerobic Bacteriology and Human Microbiome at the University of Lagos, Francisca Nwokorie, said the genomic technique yields more accurate, reliable, and effective results for the palliative care of cancer disease.
Nwokorie called for more collaboration and awareness programmes to educate the populace about the technique and enhance its access, adoption and application.
She emphasised the need for the Federal Government to provide an enabling environment for the provision of genomic technique equipment, considering its huge cost implications.
“Good enough, the University of Lagos College of Medicine has the new generation genomic testing equipment, and likewise, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital is making an effort to procure.
“But the government can make efforts to ensure more availability of this heavy equipment because of their cost, so that, while we are activating more awareness, the techniques will be readily available for people to access them easily,” Nwokorie said.
