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Breast cancer in Nigeria: Study reveals profound social, emotional toll on women

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As the world mark this years’ World Cancer Day today, a recent study published in Cancer Reports had revealed breast cancer not only presents physical challenges to Nigerian women but also profoundly affects their sense of self, social standing, and emotional well-being.

The researchers said that breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer among women in Nigeria, accounting for 25 per cent of all cases, yet access to early detection and treatment remains limited.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Federal University Lokoja, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, and Teesside University, examined the self-identities of 22 women living with breast cancer across different age groups and stages of the disease. Using a qualitative grounded theory approach, the researchers identified a pattern of evolving self-identity across three phases: before diagnosis, during treatment, and post-treatment.

Before diagnosis, women generally held a “valued self-identity”, experiencing themselves as physically whole and socially integrated in their roles as mothers, wives, and professionals. With diagnosis and treatment, women entered a transitional phase, developing either a dependent self-identity, often associated with younger women relying on family support, or a self-determined identity, more common among older women with greater economic and emotional agency.

The post-treatment phase revealed a “devalued self-identity”, where women experienced diminished self-esteem, reduced sense of femininity, and social vulnerability due to bodily changes such as mastectomy.

The study highlights that these identity shifts are particularly pronounced in younger women, affecting their perceived social value, sexual relationships, and long-term psychological well-being.

The researchers also noted the broader context exacerbates these challenges. Only 14 cancer treatment centers exist in Nigeria, mostly concentrated in the south, with limited availability of radiation therapy.

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Cancer care is largely out-of-pocket, and the National Health Insurance Scheme covers less than 5 per cent of the population, leaving many women financially vulnerable. Late-stage diagnosis is common, further complicating treatment outcomes.

Lead author Dr. Aisha Abimbola Adaranijo emphasized the significance of the findings:

“Our study shows that breast cancer is not just a physical illness. It fundamentally reshapes a woman’s sense of self, her social roles, and her emotional well-being. Healthcare providers must consider these psycho-social dimensions in treatment and survivorship care.”

Co-author Dr. Kehinde Kanmodi added: “Understanding the trajectories of self-identity among Nigerian women with breast cancer is essential. It allows caregivers and policymakers to design interventions that address not only medical treatment but also the emotional and social impacts of the disease.”

The study calls for comprehensive psychosocial support, community awareness, and policies that improve access to early detection and affordable treatment. According to the authors, addressing these dimensions is crucial to helping women navigate the “new normal” of life after a breast cancer diagnosis, where survival extends beyond the disease to encompass identity, dignity, and social reintegration.

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Lifestyle

Women Who Love and Listen to Their Pastors More Than Their Husbands Should Be the Pastor’s Second Wife

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This statement may sound funny, provocative, or even offensive, but it raises an important question about priorities in marriage and religion.

A pastor is a spiritual leader, but he is not supposed to replace a woman’s husband. If a married woman consistently values her pastor’s opinions above her husband’s, obeys her pastor while dismissing her husband, or shows greater loyalty and admiration toward her pastor than toward her spouse, then something may be seriously wrong with the balance in that marriage.

Marriage requires communication, mutual respect, trust, and understanding. A pastor can provide spiritual guidance, but that guidance should not become a reason for a husband and wife to lose respect for each other.

At the same time, husbands should not expect their wives to obey them blindly. Both husband and wife should seek God’s wisdom, communicate openly, and make decisions with love and respect.

So perhaps the real question is not whether such a woman should become the pastor’s “second wife,” but why has the pastor become more important in her marriage than her own husband?

Put God first. Respect your spouse. And never allow a spiritual leader to become a substitute for your marriage partner.

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See also  Throwback 1991: Alaafin Adeyemi's letter to military Governor against Ooni Sijuade and how Ooni was stopped from conferring Akinrogun of Yorubaland title on Chief Tom Ikimi
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Lifestyle

Why is it only in Africa that we hear so much about “generational curses”?

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This is a question worth asking—not to insult African traditions or dismiss anyone’s beliefs, but to encourage honest reflection.

Across Africa, it is common to hear people explain repeated family problems as a “generational curse.” When poverty, broken relationships, addiction, failure, sickness, family conflict or misfortune appears to repeat from one generation to another, some people immediately conclude that an ancestor, spiritual force or past wrongdoing is responsible.

But is every repeated family problem truly a curse?

If a child grows up in poverty, has limited access to quality education, receives little financial support and then struggles as an adult, is that necessarily a spiritual curse—or could it be the result of circumstances that have been passed from one generation to another?

If children grow up watching violence, substance abuse, unhealthy relationships or constant conflict, they may unknowingly repeat those patterns. That does not necessarily mean they are cursed. Sometimes behaviour is inherited through environment, not through supernatural forces.

And Africa is certainly not the only place where people believe in supernatural explanations for suffering or misfortune. Different societies around the world have their own concepts of inherited wrongdoing, family misfortune, ancestral consequences, fate and spiritual punishment.

So perhaps the more important question is not:

“Who cursed my family?”

But:

“What pattern has been passed down to me, and what can I do to stop passing it to the next generation?”

We should be careful not to use the idea of a curse to discourage people from taking action. A family facing poverty may need education, opportunity and financial planning. A family experiencing repeated conflict may need healthier communication. A person struggling with addiction may need professional support and a strong recovery environment. Communities facing injustice may need better institutions, accountability and opportunity.

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Faith and spirituality are deeply meaningful to many people, and everyone has the right to hold their beliefs. But faith should not prevent us from examining the practical causes of our problems.

We cannot change the past, but we can change what we pass forward.

Instead of teaching our children that they are victims of an unavoidable family curse, let us also teach them knowledge, discipline, emotional strength, financial responsibility, education, healthy relationships and the courage to break destructive patterns.

Maybe the greatest “curse” is not something mysterious placed upon a family.

Maybe sometimes it is simply a problem that nobody stopped long enough to understand and change.

And the greatest inheritance we can give the next generation is not fear of a curse—but the knowledge and courage to build a better future.

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You are very proud to speak big English, but yet you cannot speak your own language?

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There is nothing wrong with speaking English fluently. In fact, being able to communicate confidently in different languages is a valuable skill. But we should ask ourselves a deeper question: while learning to speak the language of another culture, are we slowly losing the language that connects us to our own roots?

Your mother tongue is more than just words. It carries the stories of your ancestors, the wisdom of your grandparents, the jokes that only your people understand, the traditional greetings, the names, the songs, the history and the identity of your community.

Imagine being able to speak perfect English, but struggling to have a simple conversation with your own grandmother because you do not understand the language she grew up speaking. Imagine your children knowing foreign languages but being unable to understand the language of their own heritage.

That should make us pause.

Speaking English does not make you more intelligent, and speaking your indigenous language does not make you less educated. One is a communication skill; the other can be a connection to your heritage. We should not have to choose between being educated and preserving our identity.

Learn English. Speak it confidently. Learn French, Dutch, Spanish or any other language that opens doors for you.

But don’t let the pursuit of foreign languages close the door to your own.

Teach your children your language. Speak it at home. Ask your parents and grandparents to teach you the words you never learned. If you have forgotten it, it is never too late to start again.

See also  Throwback 1991: Alaafin Adeyemi's letter to military Governor against Ooni Sijuade and how Ooni was stopped from conferring Akinrogun of Yorubaland title on Chief Tom Ikimi

Because when a language disappears from a family, something precious disappears with it.

Be proud of your education. Be proud of your ability to speak English. But also be proud of where you come from.

Your language is not something to be ashamed of. It is a part of your story. Preserve it before the next generation only knows it as something their ancestors once spoke.

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