Nigeria needs about 120 radiotherapy machines to adequately treat all cancer patients in the country, but it has only 15, a figure far underserving for a population of over 200 million people, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The recent cancer control capacity and needs assessment report by IARC (2025) highlighted how insufficient cancer treatment facilities are undermining progress in the war against cancer in the country.
Only 15 radiotherapy machines exist in tertiary hospitals across Nigeria, with some centres non-functional and inadequate for a population of 223 million people.
“Over 50 percent of cancer patients require radiation during their cancer treatment, and Nigeria has only 15 functional radiotherapy machines distributed across eight states (Lagos, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Borno, Abuja, Kano, and Sokoto) to serve a population of 223 million,” the IARC report stated.