Explanatory Models of and Attitudes towards Oral Cancer in Two Nigerian Ethnic Groups: Implications in Treatment and Preventive Program

This paper examines, through interview and tape recordings the perceptions of patients with oral cancers from two Nigerian ethnic groups as regard the causes and treatment of cancer. 50% of the participants from the Yoruba ethnic group attributed the cause of cancer to ‘hands of others’ explaining that they were harmed by supernatural forces (evil spirits and ancestral spirits) while 72% of patients from the Hausa/Fulani ethnic group attributed cancer to the ‘will of God’. Majority of participants from both ethnic groups understood cancer as ‘an incurable illness that causes suffering and pain’. 20 (77%) of 26 patients from the Yoruba ethnic group consulted the traditional healers for treatment before coming to the hospital. Cultural and religious factors seem to play an important role in the explanations, labels and the treatment of cancer in this environment. There is a need for greater collaboration and information sharing between the modern medical practitioners and traditional healers with regard to cancer. Studies of this nature may provide a solid foundation for the development of culturally appropriate strategies to meet the health need as regards treatment and preventive program for cancers in developing countries. * Consultant, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. ** Consultant, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Maduguri, Nigeria. *** Lecturer, Department of Preventive Dentistry, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria **** Consultant, Department of Community Medicine, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Maiduguri, Nigeria Correspondence: Dr. H O Olasoji, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, PMB 1414, Maiduguri. Nigeria E-mail [email protected]