Breast Cancer Screening in Nigeria: Where to Go and Costs

Breast cancer screening in Nigeria confuses people for a simple reason: nobody tells you which test you need. A woman of 32 asks for a mammogram and is told she does not need one. A woman of 48 has an ultrasound and assumes she is covered. Both leave with the wrong idea.

This guide sets out which test suits which age, what each one is actually looking for, roughly what you should expect to pay, where to go across the country, and how to bring the cost down. It is written for Nigerian hospitals and Nigerian prices.

Why breast cancer screening in Nigeria matters more than the numbers suggest

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Nigerian women, with roughly 44,196 new cases and 21,309 deaths estimated for 2024. A 2025 review of Nigerian studies found about 76 percent of patients had already reached stage III or IV by the time of diagnosis, and only 6 percent were at stage I.

Caught at stage I, breast cancer is among the most curable cancers there is. Caught at stage III or IV, everything becomes harder, longer and far more expensive. Screening is simply the mechanism for moving women from the second group into the first.

One honest caveat before the practical detail. The World Health Organization does not recommend nationwide mammography screening in settings where it is not yet practical, and Nigeria is one of those settings. WHO puts the priority on early diagnosis instead, meaning knowing the signs and getting evaluated quickly. So screening here is something you arrange as an individual, not something the system will call you in for. Nobody will send you a reminder letter.

Which test you need, and at what age

In your twenties and thirties: clinical breast examination

A clinical breast examination is a trained doctor or nurse examining your breasts and the lymph nodes in your armpits and above your collarbone. It takes a few minutes, costs little, and forms the backbone of breast cancer screening in Nigeria for younger women.

Have one once a year, and keep checking your own breasts monthly between visits. Under 35, dense breast tissue makes mammograms harder to read, which is why imaging at this age usually means ultrasound rather than mammography.

From 40: mammography

A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breast that can detect tumours years before anyone could feel them.

International guidance varies, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer suggests starting at 50. However, a 2025 cost-effectiveness analysis published in PLOS One modelled screening in Nigeria specifically and concluded that annual mammography starting at 40 was both the most cost-effective strategy and justified by our demographics, because breast cancer here appears at younger ages than in Europe. So 40 is the sensible starting point for a Nigerian woman, and annual is better than biennial.

Earlier if you are at higher risk

Start ten years before the age at which your closest affected relative was diagnosed if you have a mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer. The same applies if you carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, or if you have had chest radiotherapy. Discuss timing with a doctor rather than guessing.

Breast ultrasound

Ultrasound uses sound waves rather than X-rays. It reads dense breast tissue better than mammography, which makes it the first-line imaging test for younger women and a useful addition for older women with dense breasts. It is also the test used to work out whether a lump is a fluid-filled cyst or a solid mass.

What a screening result cannot do

No scan confirms cancer. Only a biopsy does that, by taking a tissue sample and examining it under a microscope. So if imaging finds something suspicious, the next step is a biopsy rather than a repeat scan.

 

What breast cancer screening in Nigeria costs

Here is where most articles quote confident naira figures. This one will not, because those figures go stale within months and a wrong number sends someone to a centre they cannot afford.

What we can say is this. A published Nigerian modelling study valued annual mammography screening at about ₦95,441 per woman per year in 2021 terms, which gives you a sense of the scale rather than a price you will be quoted today. A clinical breast examination costs a small fraction of that. A breast ultrasound sits well below a mammogram. Public teaching hospitals charge less than private diagnostic centres, though they usually involve longer waits.

Call before you go, and ask these five questions:

1. What is the current price for a mammogram, and for a breast ultrasound?
2. Is a radiologist’s report included in that price, or billed separately?
3. Do you accept my HMO, and do I need a referral code first?
4. Do you have a free or discounted screening period, particularly in October?
5. If the result is abnormal, do you perform biopsies here or refer elsewhere?

That fourth question is worth more than the others combined, which the next section explains.

Where to go for breast cancer screening in Nigeria

These centres offer mammography, breast ultrasound or both. Call ahead, since some require appointments and services change.

State	Centres
Lagos	LUTH, Lakeshore Cancer Centre (Victoria Island and Ikeja GRA), Broad Places Radiology (Surulere), Foremost Radiology (Surulere), Echolab (Opebi), Afriglobal Diagnostics (Ikeja), Union Diagnostics (Agege, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Ikotun), WellMed Healthcare (Ajah), Breast and Gynaecology Centre (Victoria Island)
FCT Abuja	Medicaid Cancer Foundation (Utako), Firmcare Diagnostics (Wuse 2 and Area 11), Union Diagnostics (Kubwa, Gwagwalada)
Oyo	ABC Medical Foundation (Ibadan), Union Diagnostics (Mokola), Afriglobal Diagnostics (Mokola)
Rivers	Pix Diagnostics (Port Harcourt), University of Port Harcourt Radiology, Union Diagnostics
Edo	SCANTRIK Diagnostics (Benin City), Benin Radiological and Laboratory Services, Union Diagnostics
Delta	Sound Scan (Asaba), Capitol Hill Hospital (Warri), Afriglobal (Oghara), Immaculate RadioDiagnostics (Agbor)
Enugu	Speck Diagnostics (Trans Ekulu), Conquest Medical Imaging (GRA)
Kaduna	Echolab (Kaduna North)
Kano	Union Diagnostics, Optimum Diagnostics Centre
Ogun	Union Diagnostics (Abeokuta), Clinix Healthcare (Agbara)
Kwara	Leah Medical and Diagnostics, Union Diagnostics (Ilorin)
Ekiti	Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka Diagnostic and Wellness Centre, Union Diagnostics, Afriglobal
Anambra	Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (Nnewi)
Others	Union Diagnostics branches in Maiduguri, Makurdi, Minna, Akure, Osogbo and Jos

If your state is not listed, the nearest federal teaching hospital is your starting point, since almost all run radiology departments with breast imaging.

How to pay less for breast cancer screening in Nigeria

Four routes, and most women use more than one.

Your HMO. If you have employer health cover, screening is often included and simply never claimed. Call your HMO, ask whether mammography and breast ultrasound are on your plan, and ask which centres near you are on their provider list. Getting a referral code first is usually what stands between a covered scan and a bill.

NHIA. Enrollees pay 20 percent of the cost of cancer medications, with coverage extending to surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In August 2026 the authority also introduced a radiotherapy cost-sharing scheme capped at ₦400,000 per patient. If you are not enrolled, enrol.

October. Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings free and heavily discounted screening across the country every year, run by foundations, hospitals, state health ministries and corporate sponsors. Organisations including Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Sebeccly Cancer Care and Project PINK BLUE run these regularly. Planning your annual screening for October is the single easiest way to cut the cost to nothing.

The Cancer Health Fund. Run by NICRAT for indigent patients with breast, cervical and prostate cancer, through designated public hospitals including ABUTH Zaria, National Hospital Abuja, UBTH Benin, Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, UNTH Enugu and UCH Ibadan. This supports treatment rather than screening, but it is worth knowing about before you need it.

 

What happens after your screening

If the result is normal, book the next one. Annual from 40 for mammography, annual clinical examination before that, and keep checking your own breasts monthly in between.

If the result is unclear, you may be asked back for additional views or an ultrasound. That is routine and not in itself bad news.

If the result is abnormal, ask for a biopsy rather than a repeat scan, because imaging alone cannot confirm or exclude cancer. Keep every report, and photograph each one with your phone.

And whatever the result says, remember that screening is a snapshot. If a change appears between screenings, act on it. Several of the signs that matter are not a lump at all.

Common questions

At what age should I start mammograms in Nigeria? 

Forty is the sensible starting point here. International guidance often says 50, but Nigerian modelling published in PLOS One found annual mammography from 40 to be the most cost-effective approach for our population, because breast cancer presents younger in Nigeria than in Europe. Start earlier if you have a strong family history.

Is a breast ultrasound as good as a mammogram? 

They do different jobs. Ultrasound reads dense breast tissue better, which makes it the right first test under 35 and a useful supplement for older women with dense breasts. Mammography detects small tumours and early calcifications that ultrasound can miss. Over 40, the mammogram is the main test.

How much does breast cancer screening in Nigeria cost? 

It depends heavily on the centre and whether you use a public teaching hospital or a private diagnostic centre. Prices move too often to publish reliably, so call two or three centres near you and ask whether the radiologist’s report is included. Then ask about October discounts and check your HMO before paying out of pocket.

Can I get free breast cancer screening in Nigeria? 

Frequently, yes, particularly during October. Foundations, teaching hospitals and state health ministries run free screening drives every Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Following organisations such as Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Sebeccly Cancer Care and Project PINK BLUE on social media is the practical way to catch the announcements.

Does screening hurt? 

A mammogram compresses the breast between two plates, which is uncomfortable for a few seconds rather than painful for most women. Booking in the week after your period helps, since breasts are less tender then. Ultrasound and clinical examination are painless.

Getting checked is the cheap part

Screening costs a fraction of treatment, and October makes it cheaper still. The expensive part of breast cancer is everything that follows a late diagnosis, which is exactly what screening exists to prevent.

At HubPharm Africa we run a Cancer Access programme supporting patients through long-term treatment across Nigeria, with verified medicines, nationwide delivery, refill coordination and pharmacist-led adherence support. If your screening has raised a question, or someone in your family has just been diagnosed, our pharmacists can help you plan the next step.

[Talk to a HubPharm pharmacist →]

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Written by Fawzi Rufai, Medically reviewed by Pharm. Sesan Kareem, B.Pharm, MPA, MBA.

This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a qualified health professional. Centre listings and prices change, so confirm directly before travelling.

References

1. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Nigeria fact sheet, Global Cancer Observatory, 2024 estimates.
2. Nigeria’s 6-year (2018–2023) stage distribution of breast cancer at diagnosis. ecancermedicalscience, 2025.
3. Cost-effectiveness analysis of mammography screening for early detection of breast cancer in Nigeria. PLOS One, 2025.
4. World Health Organization, Breast cancer fact sheet, Global Breast Cancer Initiative.
5. National Health Insurance Authority radiotherapy cost-sharing announcement, August 2026.
6. Cancer Aware Nigeria, breast screening centre directory.