Cancer Symptoms Can Be Mistaken for Ulcer, Aproko Doctor Warns

The death of veteran Nollywood actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has sparked fresh conversations about how serious illnesses can remain undetected even when a person appears healthy.

Hassan, 66, died on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after battling cancer. His family disclosed his condition only days before his death, raising questions about how his health could have deteriorated so rapidly after he had appeared well in public weeks earlier.

Reacting to the development, Nigerian doctor and health educator Aproko Doctor has explained that some serious illnesses, including certain cancers, may develop without obvious signs and can initially be mistaken for common health conditions.

In a series of posts on X on Monday, he warned that a person’s outward appearance is not always an accurate reflection of what is happening inside the body.

“The uncomfortable truth is that looking healthy does not always mean that everything is fine inside your body. Some serious illnesses can develop quietly, with symptoms that may look like ordinary problems at first,” he said.

Aproko Doctor particularly highlighted the tendency among people to assume that recurring stomach problems are caused by ulcer.

According to him, an ulcer does not simply develop into cancer. However, certain stomach cancers can produce symptoms that resemble those of ulcer, potentially allowing the real condition to go undetected.

“Ulcer. Can ulcer actually be cancer? Not exactly. An ulcer does not simply turn into cancer. But some cancers, particularly cancers of the stomach, can cause symptoms that people commonly describe as ulcer. So someone can keep treating ulcer while the actual cause of the symptoms is being missed.”

He therefore advised people with persistent stomach-related symptoms to avoid repeatedly taking ulcer medication without confirming the underlying cause.

The doctor listed persistent stomach pain, unexplained weight loss, repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, difficulty swallowing and becoming unusually full after eating small amounts among symptoms that deserve proper medical attention.

“Things like persistent stomach pain, unexplained weight loss, repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, difficulty swallowing or getting full unusually quickly should not simply be brushed aside. They do not automatically mean cancer either. But they are reasons to speak to a healthcare professional and get properly evaluated.”

However, he urged people not to become alarmed whenever they experience stomach pain, emphasising that most stomach pain is not caused by cancer.

“And please, don’t let this thread make you panic every time your stomach hurts. Most stomach pain is not cancer. The point is don’t spend months or years treating a diagnosis that was never properly confirmed. If something keeps coming back, find out why.”

Aproko Doctor also warned against self-diagnosis, stressing the importance of seeking professional medical advice when symptoms persist or repeatedly return.

His comments followed renewed public interest in the difficulty of identifying some serious illnesses at an early stage, following the death of Ogogo.

The veteran actor, who spent more than four decades in the Nigerian film industry, was buried on Monday in his hometown of Ilaro, Ogun State, according to Islamic rites.

Africans Angle News