Experts offer Nigeria possible roadmap for targeting colorectal cancer screening
Researchers in Nigeria have identified five key risk factors for colorectal cancer, including family history, body size, and processed meat consumption. These findings aim to help healthcare providers implement more targeted screening strategies in resource-limited settings.
Why it matters
Identifying specific risk factors allows for more efficient allocation of limited medical resources in developing healthcare systems.
Add as a preferred source With most colorectal cancer patients in Nigeria diagnosed only after the disease has advanced, a new study is pointing towards a more targeted approach to identifying those at greatest risk.
Researchers who studied more than 2,000 adults across six Nigerian hospitals identified five factors associated with colorectal cancer: family history of cancer, adult height, body size over the course of life, physical activity and processed-meat consumption.
Led by Olusegun Isaac Alatise, MD, the researchers say the findings could inform risk-reduction strategies and targeted early detection, particularly in Nigeria, where expanding universal screening would require substantial investment in healthcare infrastructure, trained personnel and diagnostic capacity.
Published in JAMA Network Open, the study examined 13 potential risk factors. Five showed statistically significant associations with colorectal cancer after adjustment for other factors.
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