Doctor Explains Stage-Four Cancer Treatment After Ogogo’s Daughters Appeal for Help

A Nigerian doctor has explained why patients with stage-four cancer may be moved to palliative care after available treatment options have been exhausted, following a public appeal for help by the daughters of veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo.

Doctor Olusina Ajidahun, known as The Bearded Dr Sina on X, said the family’s description that hospitals were “refusing to treat” the actor could be misunderstood and create a negative impression of the medical team caring for him.

Ajidahun explained that when cancer reaches stage four and treatments such as chemotherapy or other therapies are no longer effective or suitable, doctors may recommend palliative care. The approach focuses on managing symptoms, easing discomfort and improving the patient’s quality of life.

He also explained that stage-four cancer means the disease has spread from the organ where it started to other parts of the body. He urged patients and families to work closely with their medical teams when making decisions about further treatment.

The doctor strongly warned against unverified herbal remedies being promoted as treatments for advanced cancer. He said there are no proven herbal concoctions that can cure stage-four cancer and cautioned that some unverified treatments could cause additional complications or damage other organs.

Ogogo’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, had separately appealed for medical assistance on social media after revealing that their father was battling stage-four cancer. Lima said the family was not asking for money but wanted help finding healthcare professionals or facilities willing to assess and treat the actor.

Kira also said the family was seeking further medical intervention, including possible chemotherapy, and appealed to anyone with access to cancer specialists to contact them. She described the actor’s condition as severe and said the family had never seen him in such pain.

Ajidahun clarified that he is not part of Ogogo’s medical team and was commenting independently on the family’s public appeals. Taiwo Hassan, 66, is one of the best-known figures in Yoruba cinema, with a career spanning more than four decades and appearances in over 300 films.