Sensitises residents of Ijede Communities, Others. A Consultant Family Physician with General Hospital Ijede, Dr. Oluwaseun Ayodeji Jegede, has described cancer as tissues composed of abnormal cells that proliferate or replicate in an abnormal or deregulated fashion.
Dr. Jegede disclosed this while speaking during a sensitisation campaign organised by the hospital to mark the year 2022 World Cancer Day, adding that the human body is composed of cells adapted to function in various organs such as the liver, kidneys, skin etc.
He explained that the cells are highly regulated when they replicate themselves with regards to their similarity to the original cells and rate of replication because of the interplay of various regulatory signals in the body.
The Family Physician espoused that for cancer cells, such regulatory factors that control cellular replication and ensure their similarity to the parent cells are no longer obeyed, thus, they replicate and proliferate in an uncontrolled fashion.
In his words: “Cancers can be classified based on either the types of cells present in the tissue or the type of organ where the cells are found. Therefore, cancer cells can either develop as epithelial cells or connective tissue cells. When cancer is found primarily in any organ, it is named after such an organ. For example, we have breast cancer and prostate cancer”.
The Physician also informed that associated factors that influence the increased prevalence of cancer nowadays include rate of diagnosis due to availability of more advanced diagnostic tools, change in diet, excessive alcohol, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, positive family history and exposure to ionising radiation.
He affirmed that cancer remains the number one cause of death worldwide, noting that one out of every three persons have been diagnosed or will have one form of cancer or the other in their lifetime, stressing however that cancer is diagnosed more in women than men due to other gynaecological tumours.
While urging all women of reproductive age group, particularly those with a positive family history of cancer, men and women above the age of 40 years, those that have multiple sexual partners and those whose occupation exposes them to ionising radiation to cultivate the habit of regular cancer screening, Jegede emphasised that regular screening and identification of cancer at an early stage are the best form of management of the disease.
He pointed out that early detection saves lives, as it is more cost-effective, and cancer can easily be managed at an early stage through surgery and or a follow-up chemotherapy/radiotherapy where applicable.
The highpoint of the Cancer Day activities was the extension of the sensitisation campaign on the disease to the Palace of Obateru of Egbin, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Adeoriyomi Oyebo, and neighbouring communities in Ijede.