Following the death of veteran Nollywood actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, questions have emerged about how someone who appeared well in public weeks earlier could later be diagnosed with stage-four cancer.
Hassan, 66, died on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after a battle with cancer. His family had disclosed his condition only days before his death, prompting widespread concern and questions about the rapid deterioration of his health.
Nigerian doctor and health educator, Aproko Doctor, has now offered an explanation, warning that appearing healthy does not necessarily mean that a person has no serious underlying illness.
In a series of posts on X on Monday, he said some serious diseases, including certain cancers, can develop quietly and produce symptoms that may initially be mistaken for less serious conditions.
“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.
The doctor particularly addressed the common practice of attributing recurring stomach symptoms to ulcer.
He clarified that an ulcer does not simply become cancer, but some stomach cancers can produce symptoms similar to those associated with ulcer, potentially making it difficult to identify the underlying condition without proper medical evaluation.
“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.”
Aproko Doctor urged people experiencing recurring stomach problems not to rely solely on previously prescribed ulcer medication.
He said persistent symptoms should instead prompt further medical investigation to establish their cause.
“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.”
He, however, cautioned against creating unnecessary panic, stressing that most cases of stomach pain are not 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.”
The doctor also advised people against self-diagnosis and encouraged them to seek professional medical advice when symptoms persist.
His comments came as Ogogo’s death sparked renewed discussions about the difficulty of detecting some serious illnesses at an early stage.
Ogogo, who had a career spanning more than four decades, was buried in his hometown, Ilaro, Ogun State, on Monday according to Islamic rites.
