GLOBAL campaign to raise awareness against cancer – #NoShaveNovember on Friday officially commenced as part of efforts to reduce daily casualty figures associated with the deadly disease across the world.
The one-month long project was conceived in 2009 two years after Mathew Hill, a father of eight died as a result of colon cancer in November 2007.
Since then, the project has gained global attention while the month of November is set aside to support cancer patients and as well sensitise the public on the ailment.
“The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle,” the Web-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) stated.
It currently works in partnership with the Prevent Cancer Foundation, Fight Colorectal Cancer and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the United States while assuring its commitment to growing cancer awareness and raising funds to support cancer prevention, research, and education.
Cancer is world second leading cause of deaths killing estimated 9.6 million in 2018. Far worse, approximately 70 percent of these deaths from cancer occur in low and middle-income countries such as Nigeria and other African nations.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer in its 2018 report recorded 115 950 new cases of cancer in Nigeria with 70, 327 deaths .
The most common cancers according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) are: Lung (2.09 million cases), Breast (2.09 million cases), Colorectal (1.80 million cases), Prostate (1.28 million cases), Skin cancer (non-melanoma) (1.04 million cases) and Stomach (1.03 million cases).
The most common causes of cancer death are cancers of Lung (1.76 million deaths), Colorectal (862 000 deaths), Stomach (783 000 deaths), Liver (782 000 deaths) and Breast (627 000 deaths).
The WHO also revealed that about 50 percent of cancers could be prevented only by avoiding the risk factors and implementing other evidence-based prevention strategies.
These risk factors include – tobacco use including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, obesity, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, alcohol use, and sexually transmitted HPV-infection.
Others are infection by hepatitis, ultraviolet radiation, urban air pollution and indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels.
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at oadanikin@icirnigeria.org. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin