25/08/2026
This is exactly why cancer information on social media needs to be handled with extreme responsibility.
As a Stage 4 breast cancer thriver, patient advocate and someone who has spent years learning, listening and advocating in the cancer space, what concerns me is not that people are asking questions. It is that some people with medical titles and huge platforms are giving cancer information without enough context and thousands, sometimes millions, of people are listening.
Let’s be clear,there is an important distinction between cancer treatment and risk reduction/prevention like Genetic Testing in carefully selected high-risk individuals. But that does NOT mean someone should hear a social-media video and conclude, “I can take this drug to prevent breast cancer.”
That decision requires proper assessment of individual risk, age, menopausal status, medical history, possible benefits, side effects, contraindications and, most importantly, guidance from a qualified healthcare.
We are already fighting late presentation, misinformation, fear, financial toxicity and limited access to quality cancer care in Nigeria. The last thing patients need is misinformation coming from people they naturally assume they can trust because they wear a white coat.
And to patients, please don't confuse confidence with evidence. Don't confuse virality with validity. Don't make treatment decisions from a 60-second video.
To everyone creating health content, your platform is powerful, but so is your responsibility.
Before you post about cancer, ask yourself: Is it evidence-based? Is it properly contextualised? Could someone misunderstand this and make a dangerous decision?
Because behind every statistic is a human being.
Behind every diagnosis is a family.
And behind every viral cancer video may be someone desperate enough to act on what they just heard.
We need more cancer education not more cancer misinformation dressed up as education.
Let us do better. Lives depend on it. 🎗️
Peace & love✌️
