The Federal Government has called for increased investment in radiopharmaceutical therapy, research, infrastructure and skilled manpower as Nigeria seeks to tackle its growing cancer burden through advanced precision medicine.
The call was made on Friday at the 2026 International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Therapy (ISRT), held at the Loveworld Medical Centre, Lagos.
The symposium, with the theme, “Advancing Radiotheranostics and Precision Oncology in Africa,” brought together Nigerian and international experts in nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, oncology, theragnostics and radiopharmaceutical therapy.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Research at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Dr David Oladele, said Nigeria must move beyond conventional approaches to cancer care and embrace innovations capable of improving access to advanced treatment.
Oladele said cancer had become a major health challenge in Nigeria, requiring stronger investments in research, technology, infrastructure and human capacity.
He described radiopharmaceutical therapy as an important frontier in modern medicine because it combines advances in nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, pharmaceutical sciences, oncology and precision medicine to provide targeted treatment for patients.
“For Nigeria, the development of capacity in this area is particularly significant,” he said.
“Our response must go beyond improving access to conventional cancer services to embracing innovation, strengthening research and development, building a skilled workforce, and establishing the infrastructure and regulatory systems required for safe and sustainable delivery of advanced therapy.”
He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare remained committed to strengthening the health system through research-driven solutions, partnerships and the translation of scientific discoveries into accessible health services under the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Health Sector Reform Investment Initiative.
The minister, through his representative, urged participants to deepen collaboration between Nigerian and international institutions, identify practical pathways for technology transfer and develop local capacity that would make radiopharmaceutical therapy more accessible to Nigerians.
He also called for stronger clinical research and evidence generation, expressing hope that the symposium would produce actionable recommendations and partnerships capable of strengthening cancer care and advancing precision medicine in Nigeria.
In her opening remarks, the Executive Minister of the Ministry of Healing, Health and Social Services and Chairman of Loveworld Medical Centre, Dr Deola Phillips, said the symposium reflected a broader effort to bring sophisticated cancer diagnostics and targeted treatment to Africa.
She said the first edition of the ISRT was held in Nigeria in July 2024, while the 2026 edition attracted more than 120 registered participants, including international experts and young healthcare professionals.
“At the heart of the ISRT is diagnostics,” she said, explaining that the programme focused on bringing diagnosis and targeted treatment together to deliver more precise and personalised care.
Phillips said modern cancer care should not be measured only by how long patients live but also by the quality of life they are able to maintain.
“It is not just about treating cancer. It is about the person living with cancer, preserving the quality of life, reducing unnecessary toxicity and the burden of side effects associated with conventional treatments,” she said.
She recounted the experience of a breast cancer patient who received treatment free of charge through a partner foundation at the Loveworld Medical Centre.
According to Phillips, the patient had lived with an open breast cancer wound for more than one year and had been concerned about the complications and side effects associated with chemotherapy.
She said the patient experienced significant improvement after receiving nuclear medicine treatment.
The woman, according to Phillips, showed her the progress made after two cycles of treatment, with a previously gaping wound having reduced considerably.
“She was tearful and thankful for the treatment provided to her free of charge,” Phillips said.
She said the measure of progress in cancer care should not be limited to extending life expectancy but should also consider patients’ dignity, self-esteem and ability to continue living meaningful lives.
Phillips said ISRT was helping to build treatment and training capacity in Nigeria and Africa, adding that sophisticated cancer diagnostics and targeted therapies could be developed and delivered on the continent to international standards.
“Africa should not only receive advice in medicine after they have been established elsewhere,” she said.
“We can learn them, implement them, improve them and establish others.”
She added that registration for the symposium was free to remove barriers to knowledge-sharing and expand access to training.
“The goal is not just to keep expertise within one institution but to multiply it across Africa,” she said.
Speaking, the Chief Medical Director of Loveworld Medical Centre and Chairman of ISRT 2026, Dr Emeka Eze, described precision oncology as the future of cancer care, saying radiopharmaceutical therapy offers a more targeted approach that could reduce some of the debilitating side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy.
Eze said the treatment works by targeting diseased cells rather than broadly attacking rapidly dividing cells, which can also include healthy tissues.
“If you have ever had any relation go through chemotherapy, you know what we are talking about,” he said, citing nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, gastrointestinal complications and bone marrow suppression among some of the challenges associated with conventional treatment.
He said radiopharmaceuticals are designed to target disease pathways and tumour cells more precisely, adding that nuclear medicine could also improve the detection of cancers and other diseases that might be difficult to identify through conventional diagnostic methods.
Eze said the Loveworld Medical Centre had deployed advanced nuclear medicine technology, including a gamma camera, to improve diagnosis and targeted treatment.
He also urged Nigerians living with cancer to seek medically proven treatment options, saying radiopharmaceutical therapy offered hope to patients.
“There is hope. Nigerians should know that they do not have to go through the hell of conventional chemotherapy. They can seek an alternative,” Eze said.
He, however, acknowledged that advanced cancer care remained expensive, but said foundations were partnering with the medical centre to support patients who could not afford treatment.
According to him, organisations including the Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International and other partners were helping to provide access to treatment for eligible patients.
Also speaking, the Director of Operations and Head of Nuclear Medicine at Loveworld Medical Centre, Dr Masha Maharaj, said radiotheranostics combines diagnosis and treatment, allowing specialists to identify a disease pathway and subsequently target it with precision therapy.
Maharaj, who is also the President-elect of the World Association of Radiopharmaceutical and Molecular Therapy (WARMTH) and the scientific chair of ISRT 2026, explained that the approach differs significantly from chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
She said chemotherapy could affect both cancerous and healthy cells because the biological processes targeted by the drugs may be present in both.
“Whereas in theragnostics, it binds to a particular receptor that is expressed by that tumour,” she said.
“It is called precision oncology, directly targeting that tumour cell, causing the least to no harm to any cell adjacent to that.”
Maharaj said research was increasingly demonstrating the potential of radiotheranostics to improve outcomes for patients with advanced cancers.
She cited a study she conducted with Professor Richard Baum involving prostate cancer patients across two continents, which she said showed significant improvements in patients with advanced disease.
She said the findings demonstrated that the treatment could improve patients’ quality of life and, in some cases, bring advanced disease into a curative state.
Maharaj also announced that the centre had begun administering Actinium treatment in Nigeria.
She said patients with breast cancer, sarcoma and lung cancer were among those who recently received the advanced treatment.
“Yesterday, we did the first Actinium treatment with several patients, including breast cancer, sarcoma and lung cancer,” she said.
She said the availability of advanced treatment in Nigeria meant that cancer patients could increasingly access precision medicine locally rather than travelling abroad.
However, Maharaj said access remained a major challenge because advanced treatment could be expensive, stressing the importance of foundations and partnerships in supporting patients who could not afford care.
“This is where the foundations play an important role,” she said.
According to her, the goal was to ensure that financial circumstances or geographical location did not prevent cancer patients from accessing treatment.
Maharaj advised patients to become more informed about their conditions and available treatment options, while also calling for increased training of doctors and other healthcare professionals.
“Our symposium is meant to also train doctors,” she said.
“We want every doctor to know how to handle a patient, how to manage, when to select and when not to select.”
The symposium featured several foreign professors, consultants, doctors and specialists in nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, neuroendocrine tumours, theragnostics and radiopharmaceutical therapy.
The international experts trained participants and shared experience on the application of targeted radiopharmaceutical treatment in cancer diagnosis and management.
The call by the Federal Government comes amid growing concern over Nigeria’s rising cancer burden and the high cost of diagnosis and treatment, which continues to place advanced care beyond the reach of many patients.
Speakers at the symposium agreed that while radiotheranostics and precision oncology hold promise for improving cancer outcomes, Nigeria must invest in infrastructure, local expertise, research, regulation and partnerships to ensure that the emerging technology does not remain accessible only to a small segment of the population.