The appeal was made during the 2026 School Cancer Awareness Programme themed “Understanding Bone Cancer,” organised by the Musculoskeletal Oncology Support Foundation at Tripple Cross High School, Ogba, Lagos.
Medical experts at the event emphasised the importance of early detection, education, and community involvement in reducing the impact of musculoskeletal cancers, while also working to correct widespread misconceptions about the disease.
A Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Suleman Giwa, explained that cancers affecting bones and muscles fall under orthopaedic oncology and are treatable when identified early.
“When we talk about orthopaedic oncology, we are referring to cancers that arise from the muscles and bones of the human body and what we offer in terms of treatment for patients with this sort of condition,” he said.
He stressed that public perception often worsens outcomes, noting that many patients still associate cancer with supernatural causes or spiritual attacks.
“What we’ve come here to do is an advocacy to let people know that developing cancers of muscles and bones is not a death sentence. It is curable, particularly if patients come to visit us early and we make early diagnoses and offer appropriate treatment,” he added.
Giwa further cautioned against misinformation, stating, “patients should not see cancers as the handiwork of witches and wizards,” and emphasised that scientific research continues to improve understanding of the disease.
Explaining how cancer develops, he noted that it occurs when body cells grow and divide uncontrollably instead of following the body’s normal healing process.
He also called for increased government intervention to ease the financial burden of treatment. “Government must put some funds aside to help these sorts of patients so that they can access treatment cheaply and timely,” he said, adding that advocacy groups are working toward policies that reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
On early warning signs, he urged the public to act quickly when noticing unusual changes in the body: “When you see a swelling, an abnormal swelling in any part of your body, please approach the experts for early diagnosis and early treatment.”
Also speaking, Professor of Orthopaedics and oncologist, Samuel Eyesan, said engaging schoolchildren is a strategic way to spread awareness across communities.
“This is a school awareness programme. One of the ways we can let people know about cancer is to speak to little children who can pick up things quickly and tell their parents and friends,” he said.
He encouraged openness about symptoms and urged people not to delay hospital visits due to shame or fear. “If you have any symptom anywhere in the body, don’t be ashamed to talk. Quickly say it out and let your friends take you to the hospital,” he added.
A consultant paediatric specialist and Vice President of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Support Foundation, Dr Opeyemi Olusunmade, said the initiative was designed to equip students with potentially life-saving knowledge.
“We are here to teach them that early presentation at the hospital, early detection and early treatment will lead to better outcomes,” he said.
Olusunmade added that young people could play a vital role in spreading awareness within their communities. “We feel that telling these students these things, they will be able to spread the information in their community and change the mindset about cancers,” he noted.
Students who participated in the programme also expressed optimism about what they learned. A student, Aisha Prince, said the session broadened their understanding of cancer types and prevention.
“We’ve been able to learn different types of cancer, mainly musculoskeletal cancer, which affects muscles and surrounding tissues,” she said.
She added that awareness efforts would continue beyond the classroom. “We will work with the school management to organise rally walks and public campaigns to spread enlightenment to other students and communities,” she said.
The Musculoskeletal Oncology Support Foundation, which organised the programme, reiterated its commitment to sustained public education on cancer prevention and early detection.
Secretary of the Local Organising Committee and Consultant Orthopaedic Oncologist, Tunde Oloyede, noted that engaging students remains a long-term strategy for building a more informed society capable of recognizing early warning signs of cancer.