The benefit of the delivery of the right form of cancer care, tailored to the right patient, at the right time is increasingly being recognized in the global oncology community. Information on the role and feasible potential of precision oncology during the management of genitourinary cancer in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is limited. This article, therefore, describes the present application of personalized medicine in Nigeria and its barriers and facilitators. It provided granular details on manpower distribution and epidemiological disparities. It also explored the use of clinical and biological markers for screening and early diagnosis, the application of team science to support genomic profiling, cost-effective approaches for image-based phenotypic precision oncology, the emerging role of molecular imaging, access to clinical trials; and their potential to support data driven diagnosis, treatment decision and care availability in order to address gaps in genitourinary cancer management in the country.
Urologic oncology. 2024 Aug 24 [Epub ahead of print]
Musliu Adetola Tolani, Ismail Hadi Zubairu, Kabir Balarabe, Mudi Awaisu, Mubarak Abdullahi, Adeoluwa Akeem Adeniji, Shehu Salihu Umar, Ahmad Bello, Scott T Tagawa
College of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria. Electronic address: ., College of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Honourable Mukhtar Aliyu Betara Centre of Excellence in Oncology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria., College of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Department of Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria., College of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria., College of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Department of Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria., MeCure Cancer Centre, Lagos, Nigeria., Division of Hematology & Medical Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States.