By Hassan Hussain
The United States National Cancer Institute, NCI, says it is strengthening international partnerships to advance cancer research, training and capacity building, particularly in Africa.
A representative of the Institute, Dr. Lee Ann Bailey, disclosed this at the 5th Africa Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Cancer Consortium Conference held in Abuja.
Dr. Bailey said the NCI, established in 1937 and restructured in its present configuration in 1971, supports collaborative research involving American and international researchers.
She explained that the Institute’s intramural division focuses on laboratory and clinical translational sciences, complementing research conducted by extramural investigators across the United States and other countries.
According to her, the NCI’s Center for Global Health and the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities are among the key centers driving its international cancer agenda.
Dr. Bailey said the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, CRCHD, is anchored on three major pillars: cancer health disparities research, community outreach and engagement, and workforce excellence and capacity building.
She stressed that sustainable progress in cancer control requires coordinated investment in scientific discovery, healthcare delivery and capacity development.
The NCI representative said the Institute also supports mentorship, training and partnerships that link comprehensive cancer centers in the United States with resource-limited institutions around the world.
Dr. Bailey noted that the United States and other countries face common challenges in cancer control, including rural populations, limited resources, cultural barriers to healthcare access, the need for early detection and effective coordination of research.
On Africa, she said NCI provided direct research awards to several institutions across sub-Saharan Africa in 2025, despite new U.S. restrictions requiring greater justification for research conducted outside the country, including demonstrating potential benefits to the United States.
She disclosed that research involving sub-Saharan African collaborators accounted for about 18 per cent of the Institute’s international funding portfolio in the 2025 financial year.
Dr. Bailey further said international collaborations accounted for 13.4 per cent of the NCI’s overall research portfolio in 2025, while domestic grants constituted 86.6 per cent.
She also highlighted the role of the 72 NCI-designated cancer centers in advancing global oncology through research, training and international partnerships.
Turning to Nigeria, Dr. Bailey said NCI-funded research includes 63 extramural grants involving collaborators in Nigeria, alongside five intramural research projects.
She explained that five of the extramural grants were direct awards to Nigerian institutions, while the others were awarded to institutions in the United States and other countries working with Nigerian collaborators.
The University of Ibadan emerged as the leading Nigerian collaborating institution, according to the NCI data presented.
Dr. Bailey said the 63 extramural grants involving Nigerian collaborators covered more than 34 cancer sites, demonstrating the breadth of cancer research collaboration between Nigeria and the United States.
She identified cervical cancer as the leading area of research focus, accounting for 19 of the grants.
The NCI representative said the existing level of collaboration provides opportunities for stronger partnerships between Nigerian institutions and NCI-designated cancer centers in the United States.
She encouraged stakeholders to explore actionable partnerships in research, training, community engagement and capacity building as part of efforts to strengthen cancer prevention, early detection and treatment in Nigeria and across Africa.
Nigeria Moves to Establish Liver Transplant Programme
Nigeria is set to establish a liver transplant programme as part of efforts to strengthen the treatment and prevention of liver cancer in the country.
Also, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Cancer Society, Professor Monisi, who is also the lead of the consortium, said the group brings together scientists and cancer experts from Africa and other parts of the world to address cancers affecting the liver, pancreas and biliary tree.
He said the consortium, established about six years ago, holds an annual scientific meeting to assess cancer control efforts across African countries, build capacity, exchange ideas and promote research collaboration.
According to him, the current meeting has attracted participants from more than 30 African countries, as well as experts from the United States, Asia and Europe.
Professor Monisi explained that the consortium focuses particularly on cancers that are often poorly diagnosed in Africa, with many patients initially attributing symptoms such as abdominal pain to peptic ulcers or other less serious conditions.
He said liver cancer remains a major concern because it is highly preventable, especially through the prevention and proper management of chronic Hepatitis B infection.
“Primary liver cancer, the commonest cause is chronic Hepatitis B, and sub-Saharan Africa has the highest burden for this disease,” he said.
Professor Monisi noted that Nigeria has a particularly high burden of Hepatitis B, stressing that people living with the virus who are not properly managed and treated are at increased risk of developing liver cancer.
He said increased awareness and advocacy by the consortium and other stakeholders had begun to influence government policy, with liver cancer now receiving greater attention in Nigeria’s cancer-control efforts.
The cancer expert, however, regretted that Nigeria currently has no center capable of carrying out liver transplantation, which he described as the gold standard for managing patients with advanced liver cancer.
He observed that countries such as Egypt and South Africa already have centers offering liver transplant services, forcing Nigerians who require such treatment to seek care abroad, including in India.
Professor Monisi said the consortium had secured the commitment of the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, to establish a liver transplant programme in Nigeria.
He disclosed that discussions were ongoing toward the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and a strategic partnership between the government and the consortium to facilitate the establishment of the programme.
He said the initiative would not only improve access to life-saving treatment but also strengthen local expertise and reduce the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for liver cancer treatment.
Professor Monisi further explained that the annual scientific conference provides an important platform for African researchers to connect with international institutions, including the United States National Cancer Institute, for research funding and technical support.
He said such partnerships would enable African scientists to develop and conduct research aimed at finding better ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating cancers that disproportionately affect the continent.
The consortium, he added, would continue to focus on capacity building, infrastructure development, research and international collaboration as part of efforts to reduce cancer deaths in Africa.
Nigeria Reaffirms Commitment to Strengthening Cancer Control, Expanding Access to Care
Declaring the Conference open, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, represented by the Director of Clinical Services, National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Professor Musa Ali-Gombe, said cancer remained a major public health challenge in Africa, characterised by complex diagnoses, inadequate specialised services, limited access to advanced treatment and shortages of skilled personnel.
He, however, noted that the challenges should not define the continent’s future, stressing that Africa possesses the expertise, institutions, innovation and human resources needed to improve cancer outcomes.
He called for stronger collaboration, coordinated action, sustainable financing and political commitment to translate knowledge and research into accessible and affordable cancer services.
The Minister said Nigeria’s cancer response was guided by the National Strategic Cancer Control Plan, which places emphasis on prevention and early detection while strengthening diagnostic and treatment capacity.
He identified institutions including NICRAT, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Health Insurance Authority as critical to the country’s cancer-control efforts.
According to him, the institutions have key roles in cancer research, prevention, treatment, surveillance, capacity building, financing and coordination.
Dr Salako said the Federal Government was also strengthening financial protection mechanisms for cancer patients and exploring ways to expand health insurance coverage for cancer-related services.
He noted that through the Nigeria Cancer Access Partnership Programme, patients could access selected anti-cancer medicines at significant discounts, adding that the initiative was aimed at ensuring access to treatment based on need rather than ability to pay.
The Minister stressed the importance of prevention and early detection at the primary healthcare level, supported by effective referral pathways to secondary and tertiary facilities.
He said cancers such as breast, cervical and colorectal cancers required an integrated continuum of care, covering risk reduction, health education, screening, early diagnosis, treatment and survivorship support.
Dr Salako further identified tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and viral infections among the major preventable cancer risk factors requiring sustained attention.
On liver cancer, he said prevention and control of hepatitis B and C remained critical, requiring vaccination, screening, diagnosis and treatment.
He also emphasised the importance of research and innovation in Africa’s cancer response, calling for increased investment in African-led research that reflects the continent’s populations, disease patterns and health-system realities.
The Minister said stronger cancer registries, collaborative research networks, clinical trials and implementation research were required to improve evidence-based cancer control.
He added that advances in health genomics and artificial intelligence presented opportunities to strengthen cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment planning and surveillance.
Dr Salako also disclosed that Nigeria was investing in a skilled multidisciplinary cancer workforce, including specialists in oncology, surgery, pathology, radiology, pharmacy and nursing.
He said cancer treatment centers were being strengthened through improved infrastructure and equipment, while mentorship, fellowships, specialist training, knowledge exchange and collaborative research were being promoted.
The Minister stressed that no single institution could address the cancer burden alone, calling for stronger partnerships among governments, healthcare professionals, academia, civil society, development partners, philanthropic organisations and the private sector.
He urged stakeholders to join the African Quality Collaborative Network, which brings together countries and institutions working to strengthen cancer control across the continent.
Dr Salako urged participants to use the conference to deepen collaboration, strengthen health systems and translate knowledge and innovation into better prevention, earlier diagnosis, improved treatment and higher survival rates for people living with cancer.
Africa Must Develop Homegrown Solutions to Cancer Challenges — Expert
Similarly, the President of the Africa Hepatopancreatobiliary Cancer Consortium, Dr Lewis Robert, called for increased investment in cancer prevention, early detection and locally developed treatment solutions to tackle the growing cancer burden in Africa.
Dr Robert noted that cancer often affects Africans at younger ages, resulting in the loss of many productive years of life.
He said the continent must give greater attention to cancer prevention, stressing that preventing the disease remains better and less costly than treating it at an advanced stage.
According to him, early detection is equally important, as cancers diagnosed at an early stage are generally more treatable and less expensive to manage.
Dr Robert explained that researchers are exploring advanced methods of detecting liver and pancreatic cancers early, including the use of ultrasound, fibroscan and advanced endoscopic procedures.
He added that scientists are also investigating less invasive methods, such as blood tests, which could make cancer detection easier and more accessible to patients.
The expert said attention must also be given to patients whose cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages, with research focused on understanding the biology of individual tumours and developing targeted treatments.
Dr Robert stressed the need for Africa to develop solutions suited to its peculiar cancer challenges, rather than relying solely on expensive treatments developed elsewhere.
He cited monoclonal antibodies as an example, noting that although they are effective in treating several cancers, their high cost makes them inaccessible to many patients and health systems across Africa.
He said researchers are therefore exploring innovative and affordable approaches, including vaccines and other treatments that could target cancer cells at a cost African health systems can sustain.
Dr Robert also urged young African scientists and clinicians to take advantage of emerging opportunities in cancer research, saying the future of cancer control on the continent depends largely on their contributions.
He assured that efforts are being made to build the necessary tools, infrastructure and research environment to enable African researchers to develop homegrown solutions to the continent’s cancer challenges.
