St. Jude, LUTH, TDCF Partner, to Improve Pediatric Cancer Survival in Nigeria

Sunday Ehigiator

In a renewed push to bridge the alarming survival gap in childhood cancer between high-income and low-income nations, St. Jude Global Alliance has strengthened its commitment to Nigeria through expanded partnerships and capacity-building initiatives with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and The Dorcas Cancer Foundation (TDCF).

With a mission that “no child should die at the dawn of life,” St Jude supports a global alliance to combat childhood cancer through research, education, innovation, evidence-based strategies and clinical partnerships.

Representatives from the St. Jude Global Alliance visited Nigeria for a high-level working visit, following its recent admission of TDCF as the first Nigerian non-profit organisation to join this global network of over 400 institutions across more than 80 countries.

The Director for sub-Saharan Africa and Pediatric Oncologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dr. Nickhill Bhakta, engaged directly with key stakeholders in Lagos to support accelerating pediatric oncology transformation in Nigeria.

He said the focus is on how to further empower the team at LUTH and their foundation partners, to ensure more children across Nigeria have access to quality treatment.

Bhakta said currently, childhood cancer survival rates in Nigeria hover below 20 per cent, a stark contrast to over 80 per cent in countries like the United States describing this as “one of the greatest health-related disparities in modern medicine,” and stating that St. Jude is determined to help close this gap.

He said the initiative targets a global survival rate of 60 per cent for childhood cancer by 2030.

The Executive Director and Founder of The Dorcas Cancer Foundation, Nigeria’s first pediatric radiation oncologist, Dr. Adedayo Joseph, said the visit highlights the importance of collaborative action in addressing the unique challenges and opportunities facing countries worldwide, including those in Africa, in delivering childhood cancer care.

Joseph, who also serves as the Director of Clinical Research and Head of Pediatric Radiation Oncology, Medserve–LUTH Cancer Centre, said for the first time in Nigeria and West Africa, young people with brain tumors, kidney tumors and even leukemias have access to and modern radiotherapy with techniques such as intensity modulated (IMRT) and Volumetric Arc Radiation known as VMAT at LUTH.

Joseph, who is also a pioneer in hypo-fractionated radiotherapy in Nigeria, said the team at LUTH is currently undergoing an intense training programme with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is one of the many opportunities this alliance opens up for Nigerian providers and their patients.

She said other such opportunities and partnerships will see the Medical Social Work department work with the patient navigation programme of TDCF to ensure seamless care, in addition to the potential partnership of the hospital oncology nursing programme to expand pediatric oncology nursing training and practice in the country.

Also speaking, Consultant Pediatric Oncologist, LUTH, Prof. Edamisan Olusoji Temiye, said the collaboration between Nigeria and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the United States is driving significant progress in the treatment of childhood cancer in Nigeria.

Temiye, who also serves as a professor at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, detailed how exposure to advanced cancer treatment models during his visit to St. Jude in Memphis inspired innovations now being implemented in Nigeria.

Temiye noted that one of the most significant achievements of this partnership has been the dramatic improvement in childhood leukaemia survival rates in Nigeria, as about 40-50 per cent of leukaemia cases survive, compared to almost zero back then.

However, he emphasised that critical challenges remain, particularly in the area of molecular diagnosis, noting that currently, samples are shipped to South Africa, where the volume of tests from Nigeria has begun to overwhelm partner labs.

He said to address this gap LUTH has acquired critical equipment such as a flow cytometer and fluorescent microscope.

The Chief Operating Officer of TDCF, Korede Akindele, said this visit is a crucial opportunity to drive collective national progress and continue to strengthen shared goals, such as improving survival rates and quality of care for every Nigerian child facing cancer.

Akindele said St Jude’s presence reflects the deepening of a global-local alliance dedicated to saving lives and building resilient pediatric cancer health systems in Nigeria.

“It is an opportunity to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and meaningfully contribute to a global mission of equity in pediatric cancer care. We are humbled to work with the St. Jude Global Alliance in this effort to ensure that no child in Nigeria is left behind,” Akindele added.