The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Nigeria records 127,000 cancer cases annually, with 7.2 per cent children.
The National Cancer Control Programme National Coordinator, Dr. Uchechukwu Nwokwu, said this on the sidelines of a public enlightenment on Childhood cancer in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the event was organised by the Akanimo Cancer Foundation in commemoration of the 2025 International Childhood Cancer Day ( ICCD).
Nwokwu said: “The current data shows that we have 127,000 cancer cases annually in Nigeria and out of which, 7.2 per cent are children. “If you look at the cancers that are common among children, it is the leukemias.
“Adults also have leukemias, but the most common childhood cancers are the leukemias. it is about the fourth commonest cancer in adults.
“Coincidentally, children have more tendency to survive than the adults, because their systems are still very functional.
“They have the capacity to resist some of the side effects of the drugs used to treat them and they recover quite fast.”
