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Talent Gore
MEN have been urged to screen for prostate cancer because the risk of developing the disease was higher among black people as compared to other races.
Cancer Association of Zimbabwe monitoring and evaluation coordinator, Lovemore Makurirofa, said the recommended age for screening in this country was 45, and above.
“The survival rate for prostate cancer is reasonably higher if people access screening,” he said.
“A lot of patients, under treatment, are doing very well.
“Zimbabwe records about 7 800 new cancer cases every year and prostate cancer contributes 11 percent of these.
“The country records around 2 500 cancer-related deaths annually, of which prostate cancer, which is known to affect men of African descent mostly compared to non-blacks, contributes 10 percent.
“It starts in the prostate gland, which is located just below the bladder in men, and surrounds the top portion of the tube that drains urine from the bladder (urethra).
“Its primary function is to produce the fluid that nourishes and transports sperm (semi-fluid).”
Mukurirofa said prostate cancer was the most common cancer in Zimbabwe, surpassing lung cancer, Kaposi Sarcoma and other cancers, among males.
“Of which there are two risk factors to the disease, the ones which can be changed and those that cannot be changed,” said Makurirofa.
“Risk factors that cannot be changed include race, age and heredity, while one can change diet and reduce obesity, smoking and consumption of alcohol.”
Makurirofa said modifiable risk factors can be changed through behavioural changes and reducing diet which is high in animal fat.
“Being overweight and obese poses high chances of developing prostate cancer hence the need for men to regulate their weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) by changing sedentary lifestyles and taking up regular exercising.
“Men should also desist from smoking and reduce the intake of alcohol as these are some of the drivers of cancers and other non-communicable diseases.
“The current situation, according to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry, is that about 80 percent of cases are being diagnosed late.
“This makes it very difficult for them to be treated successfully. Screening is a way of finding a disease before it shows signs and symptoms,” said Makurirofa.
He said these symptoms may be a result of other problems such as non-cancerous growth in the prostate gland hence the need to visit the doctor for regular check-ups.
Makurirofa added that the treatment options available in Zimbabwe usually include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, adding “in most cases, they use a combination but there is a high success rate of treatment in prostate cancer if it is detected early.
“There are still gaps regarding screening. There is screening for cervical cancer in the rural areas but for prostate cancer screening is still centralised.
“We ask men to request the screening service from their general practitioners because any trained doctor is capable of performing that form of screening,” he said.
Online Reporter