Dr. Adaorah Enyi is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Oncopadi Tech Limited and the Director of Research and Innovation at Pearl Oncology Specialist Hospital a women-focused cancer center in Lekki, Lagos. Through clinical care, community engagement, and digital innovation, she is working to transform cancer care delivery in Nigeria and across Africa.
In an interview with Just4WomenAfrica, Dr. Enyi shares what drew her to oncology and how technology is helping to close critical gaps in cancer care.
Her journey began during her fourth year of medical school, after losing a close friend to liver cancer just three months after diagnosis. As she progressed through her training, she noticed a troubling pattern: many cancer patients presented at very advanced stages, when treatment options were limited and mortality was high.
This reality became even clearer during her work as a volunteer community physician. She encountered widespread misinformation, fear, and stigma around cancer. Many people did not understand the disease, while others believed it was a spiritual issue or an automatic death sentence. As a result, women in particular delayed screening and treatment.
The challenge is worsened by a severe shortage of specialists. Nigeria has fewer than 100 clinical oncologists serving a population of over 200 million people, with more than 18 states lacking a single oncologist. Yet the country records over 125,000 new cancer cases every year.
According to Dr. Enyi, late presentation—not lack of diagnostic ability—is the biggest reason many cancers are not detected early. Patients often spend months trying alternative treatments or prayer camps before seeing a specialist. By then, curative treatment may no longer be possible.
To address these gaps, Dr. Enyi and her team developed Honory, a digital health platform that supports cancer patients through education, teleconsultations, access to diagnostic services, AI-guided symptom screening, and moderated support communities. The goal is to make accurate information and specialist guidance accessible, even in underserved areas.
They also created Prosare, an app that helps patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery report side effects and receive timely medical advice. This has reduced treatment abandonment and improved patient outcomes.
Dr. Enyi emphasizes that early detection saves lives. Warning signs such as unexplained weight loss, persistent fatigue, painless lumps, unusual bleeding, and urinary changes should never be ignored. She also notes that breast cancer affects men too, though it is often overlooked.
Her message is one of hope: cancer is not a death sentence. With early action, accurate information, and the smart use of technology, many lives can be saved.
This article is based on an interview conducted on the Just4WomenAfrica platform.
