DNA-based breast cancer test launches in Nigeria to reduce chemo burden

Numelec Africa Holdings (NAH) has partnered with Digistain, a UK-based oncology diagnostics company, to introduce a DNA-based breast cancer risk profiling test in Nigeria.

The test will help doctors predict whether a cancer is likely to return, guiding them on whether the patient needs chemotherapy or can safely avoid it.

In a statement on Tuesday, Ese Owie, executive chairman of Numelec Africa Holdings, said unlike other tests that study how active certain genes are (RNA tests), this looks directly at the cancer’s DNA itself.

Owie noted that the test makes the results more precise and consistent, no matter the patient’s background or differences in the tumour.

He described the collaboration as “catalytic” for Nigeria’s health sector, adding that the partnership would cut patient costs, reduce turnaround times for diagnosis, and set a new benchmark for precision oncology in Africa.

“Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality among Nigerian women, Owie said.

“By partnering with Digistain, we are not only bringing cutting-edge diagnostics to our healthcare sector but also affirming Numelec’s commitment to democratizing access to transformative health technologies,”

Hemmel Amrania, founder and chief executive officer of Digistain, said the partnership would extend the benefits of the innovation beyond Europe and South East Asia.

“By harnessing our patented, AI-enabled diagnostic platform, we can empower Nigerian oncologists with rapid, accurate, and affordable risk stratification, ensuring that breast cancer patients receive the most appropriate treatment without unnecessary exposure to chemotherapy,” Amrania said.

The technology, developed at Imperial College London, has been validated across diverse patient groups, with published data showing 99 percent accuracy at five years and 95 percent at 10 years.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer accounts for about 23 percent of new cancer cases and 18 percent of cancer deaths in the country.