The 4th of February is set aside every year to mark the World Cancer day. It is a day dedicated to creating awareness on the clear and present danger of the Cancer scourge and encouraging the prevention, detection and treatment of the disease.

Statistics show that Cancer resulted in 13% of the total deaths worldwide, 7.6million people, in 2004 only. This number has increased over the years, considering the high level of ignorance on this ailment. Most of us remain unaware of the dangers of Cancer and that life style choices, diets and  the environment are major causes of disease and will continue to be, unless concerted  efforts by  all are put in place to arrest this ugly development.

The International Cancer Centre  Abuja has as  one of its major objectives advocacy on creating awareness and prevention. The key to the fight against cancer is prevention and early detection. Plans have reached an advanced stage to ensure that the ICCA  comes on stream, providing wholesome medical care and supporting indigent patients with financial aid and drugs.

Most recently, the Director General of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) Ambassador Yukiwa Amano was in Nigeria and paid a courtesy call visit on the International Cancer Centre. He promised to support the centre in the areas of  capacity building, technical training and regional multidisciplinary education under the planned Virtual University for Cancer Control (VUCC) pilot project that is coming up soon.

Cancer, with the support of everyone is a war that can be fought and successfully overcome. With adequate advocacy and support by the media, medical practitioners and the general public the cancer war can be successfully fought and won. Like the old age goes "Prevention is better than cure". Hopefully, with the general growing awareness about the challenges of cancer, we can win this fight. Thank you and God bless

Hajia (Dr) Turai Yar' adua
Founder, ICCA