The rising variety of males looking for remedy for prostate most cancers highlights the necessity for improved early analysis and entry to specialised healthcare in Nigeria, the president of Kelina Hospital, Dr Celsus Undie, has mentioned.
Undie expressed the priority in Lagos throughout the first anniversary of the hospital’s robotic surgical procedure programme, calling for stronger efforts to make sure that Nigerian males obtain well timed remedy relatively than current at superior levels of the illness.
“We see a lot of prostate cancer now. Many of us never knew that we had that much of a prostate cancer problem in Nigeria until we started doing the type of surgery that Nigerians are looking for,” he mentioned.
“The cancer burden is high, and we need to be able to help our people.”
Undie attributed the excessive incidence of prostate most cancers amongst Africans partly to genetic elements. However, the dimensions of the illness in Nigeria requires larger consideration to analysis, public consciousness and entry to applicable remedy.
Prostate most cancers develops within the prostate gland and will progress with out apparent signs in its early levels. Although urinary difficulties can immediate medical analysis, such signs may end result from different prostate circumstances and shouldn’t robotically be taken as proof of most cancers.
Undie mentioned Kelina Hospital had carried out greater than 50 robotic radical prostatectomy procedures since launching its robotic surgical procedure programme in September 2025. The procedures grew to become a daily service on the hospital in June 2026, in response to the power.
He mentioned the hospital’s Nigerian surgical crew now performs the operations frequently with out relying on visiting international surgeons, demonstrating the rising capability of native medical professionals to supply specialised remedy.
The hospital chief additionally mentioned greater than half of its sufferers present process the process have been discharged a day after surgical procedure, though restoration time and outcomes fluctuate in response to particular person circumstances.
“Many of us in urology, a lot of my colleagues, are doing our best to see what we can do so that people can remain at home. It is much cheaper for them to have their treatment at home than to travel around the whole world looking for help,” he mentioned.
The improvement comes amid issues about the price of medical remedy overseas and the monetary burden on sufferers who journey exterior Nigeria for specialised care. Expanding native capability may scale back a few of these bills, though affordability, availability of apparatus and entry to certified specialists stay vital issues.
Undie confused the significance of detecting prostate most cancers earlier than it spreads to different components of the physique, explaining that superior illness may very well be harder to handle.
“When cancer is confined to an organ, treatment options may include removing it, depending on the nature and stage of the disease. Once it spreads, treatment is not so effective,” he mentioned.
He defined that metastasis, the unfold of most cancers from its unique website to different components of the physique, may complicate remedy and have an effect on a affected person’s well being.
However, remedy choices rely upon the most cancers’s stage, the affected person’s total well being and different medical findings. Surgery isn’t the one possibility for each affected person, making specialist evaluation vital in figuring out an applicable course of care.
A affected person, Mr Joseph Ogar, who underwent prostate surgical procedure in 2012, mentioned frequent urination prompted him to hunt medical consideration and endure additional investigations.
Ogar mentioned he had been involved about reviews that prostate surgical procedure may have an effect on sexual perform however acquired reassurance from his physician earlier than present process the operation.
“Today, I am sitting here healthy, and I can still maintain my sexual function whenever I want,” he mentioned, including that he continued to attend common medical check-ups.
His expertise, nonetheless, shouldn’t be interpreted as a assure of comparable outcomes for all sufferers, as sexual perform and restoration can fluctuate relying on the process, the stage of the illness and particular person well being elements.
Since commencing operations in 2008, the hospital, mentioned it has crossed 7,000-surgery mark, whereas its prostate surgical procedure companies embrace robotic and laparoscopic most cancers operations and holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), a minimally invasive process used to deal with an enlarged prostate.
Another affected person, Ms. Temilola Oke, mentioned she travelled from Lagos to Abuja for remedy after being identified with kidney stones and later present process corrective surgical procedure for a kidney abnormality.
Oke mentioned she had initially delayed the operation as a result of she feared it will go away a big belly scar, however ultimately underwent the process in 2018.
She mentioned she was doing effectively and now not required treatment associated to the surgical procedure.
Chairman of the Board of Kelina Hospital, Dr Ifeanyi Anago, described the hospital’s robotic surgical procedure programme as a step in the direction of strengthening Nigeria’s capability to ship superior medical companies.
Anago mentioned the achievement went past the hospital, arguing that native entry to specialised procedures may assist scale back medical tourism and the outflow of funds spent on remedy overseas.
“It may be a small step for a hospital like Kelina, but it is a giant leap for healthcare delivery in Nigeria,” he mentioned.
He famous that the hospital, which started operations in 2008, had continued to broaden its specialised companies as a part of efforts to show that some superior medical procedures may very well be undertaken throughout the nation.
“There is a Yoruba adage that says what you are looking for in Sokoto is in your sokoto. You do not have to travel abroad for some of these things. They are here,” Anago mentioned.
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