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Every year on Feb. 4, the world marks World Cancer Day: a global awareness day led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to encourage prevention, early detection, treatment and support for people living with cancer.
The theme for World Cancer Day 2025–2027 is “United by Unique,” a call to place people, not just the disease, at the centre of cancer care. It highlights that while cancer is a global challenge, every person’s experience and access to care is shaped by their social, economic and cultural realities.
In Nigeria, those realities are often complicated by widespread myths and misinformation about cancer. From WhatsApp broadcasts to roadside health advice and social media influencers, false claims continue to shape how people understand the disease, sometimes discouraging early diagnosis and proper treatment.
In this article, DUBAWA debunks some of the most persistent myths surrounding cancer and the facts to help people make informed decisions.
- Cancer is a spiritual attack or punishment
Cancer is sometimes described as a curse, a witchcraft attack or divine punishment, especially when it progresses rapidly, returns after treatment or does not respond as expected to medication.
In many communities, illnesses that cannot be easily explained or cured are often given spiritual meanings, particularly when someone appears healthy before becoming sick.
Cancer develops when cells in the body begin to grow and divide uncontrollably. This happens because of genetic mutations, changes in a cell’s DNA that affect how it grows, repairs itself or dies. These mutations do not occur because of spiritual forces. Instead, they are linked to well-established medical and environmental factors.
Cancer may appear to “come suddenly” because it often grows silently for years before symptoms become noticeable. By the time signs appear, the disease may already be advanced, which can make treatment more difficult and reinforce the belief that the illness has a spiritual cause. However, medical evidence shows that early detection and timely treatment significantly improve outcomes.
- Biopsies or surgery make cancer spread
Some people believe that cutting into a tumour, through a biopsy or surgery, can cause cancer to spread to other parts of the body. This fear sometimes makes patients delay diagnosis or refuse treatment, which can have serious consequences.
Cancer spreads when abnormal cells break away from the original tumour and travel through the blood or lymphatic system to other parts of the body. This process, called metastasis, happens naturally as the disease progresses. It is not caused by medical procedures.
A biopsy is a medical procedure where a small sample of tissue is removed to confirm whether a tumour is cancerous. Surgery involves removing the tumour entirely or partially. Both procedures are performed by trained medical professionals using sterile techniques to prevent the spread of cancer cells. In fact, surgery is often the primary treatment for many cancers, especially when detected early, and can significantly improve survival chances.
- Herbal mixtures or fasting can cure cancer
In Nigeria, it is common to see herbal products, teas, or extreme fasting routines advertised as “natural cures” for cancer. Some patients turn to these remedies instead of, or alongside, conventional treatment, sometimes delaying or abandoning hospital care entirely.
There is no scientific evidence that herbal remedies or fasting can cure cancer. Cancer is caused by abnormal cell growth due to genetic mutations, infections, environmental factors, or lifestyle risks. Successfully treating cancer usually requires medical interventions such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or targeted medications.
While some herbs may support general well-being, they cannot eliminate cancer cells. In fact, unregulated herbal products can be harmful, causing liver or kidney damage, interacting dangerously with chemotherapy drugs, or worsening the patient’s overall health. Extreme fasting or restrictive diets may also weaken the immune system, leaving patients less able to cope with cancer treatment.
- Only women get breast cancer
Breast cancer is widely seen as a “women’s disease,” largely because awareness campaigns, screening programmes and public conversations focus almost entirely on women. As a result, many men do not consider themselves at risk and may ignore early symptoms or delay seeking medical care.
Well, men can also develop breast cancer. Although it is less common than in women, male breast cancer is a real and medically recognised condition. Men have breast tissue too, and cancer can develop in these cells just as it does in women.
Symptoms of breast cancer in men are similar and may include a lump in the chest area, changes in the nipple, nipple discharge, or skin changes around the breast. Because men are generally not screened and are less aware of these signs, the disease is often detected at a later stage, when treatment options are more limited, and outcomes are worse.
- A cancer diagnosis is a death sentence
Many Nigerians believe that once cancer is diagnosed, death is inevitable. This belief often leads to fear, denial and sometimes secrecy, with some people avoiding hospitals altogether because they see no hope in seeking treatment.
A cancer diagnosis is not automatically a death sentence. Many types of cancer are treatable and survivable, especially when detected early. Advances in medical care, such as improved surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted treatments, have significantly increased survival rates worldwide.
Outcomes depend on several factors, including the type of cancer, the stage at diagnosis, the patient’s overall health, and access to appropriate treatment. For example, cancers like breast, cervical and prostate cancer have much better survival outcomes when diagnosed in their early stages.
Seeing cancer as a death sentence discourages screening, delays diagnosis and reduces survival chances. Early detection, timely treatment and proper medical care can save lives, and many cancer survivors in Nigeria and beyond are living proof.
Conclusion
As the world marks World Cancer Day, the fight against cancer goes beyond treatment and technology. It also requires confronting the myths and misinformation that shape people’s decisions. In Nigeria, false beliefs about cancer continue to delay diagnosis, discourage screening and push patients away from proven medical care.
