The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, NICRAT, has revealed plans to establish a standardised national cancer registry and data system to address the escalating challenges of cancer in Nigeria.

The Director-General of NICRAT, Dr. Usman Aliyu disclosed at a workshop in Abuja that the Registry was 90 percent completed and would commence full operations in four months time.

Dr. Aliyu noted that the registry was important for public health and cancer surveillance which would generate quality data, cancer incidence, risk factors and outcomes for specific populations.

He further stressed the need for more trainings of the frontline health personnels and Directors in the registry for on cancer screening techniques and cancer care.

The Coordinator for African Cancer Registry Network, Professor Maxwell Parkin, said more funding was needed to strengthen the registry and to avoid the impediment on national planning efforts against the disease.

The President of the West African College of Surgeons, Professor Emmanuel Ezeome said the training was timely as it would help stakeholders to have the statistics and reliable data which the country needed to plan for cancer management and control.