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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Health Buzz
Eleven years ago, my father (may God rest his soul) was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He probably noticed the symptoms earlier on because they are conspicuous by nature.
Him being a health conscious person helped; he would religiously take medication for anything and everything that needed him to.
So he immediately sought medical help and tests revealed that he had prostate cancer. Having borne daughters only, I remember his discomfort at discussing his health with us.
At times when his younger brother could not be available to accompany him, my sisters and I had to be there. Two months down the line, I accompanied him to have the surgery to remove the prostate at Howard Mission Hospital.
For six months, he was taking medication and had a catheter to help him to relieve himself. When it was removed, I remember his joy at being given a clean bill of health.
Had the old man decided to be shy about his ordeal, he would not have had more years to see his children and grandchildren grow.
My dad lived for seven good years without a problem, he never saw the door of a hospital or need to visit the doctor until February 2018.
That is when his cancer recurred.
Only this time, the cancer cells had embedded themselves in his spine and all the tests, scans and x-rays revealed nothing to the doctors.
At this time, dad would speak openly about the constant back pain, the loss of appetite and even his problems with urine and bowel movement.
Remember this was a man who loved taking medication as soon as a problem arose. But now, the pills were just not working for him.
One day he just lost feeling in his lower body and became paralysed from waist down. He was transferred from Gokwe to Harare that same day but at around 10 am the next day (July 3, 2018), my father lost his battle with cancer.
The doctor later told us that the prostate cancer cells had returned and settled on his spine. When cancer cells do this, it is called metastasis. The cancer cells in the new place look just like the ones from the prostate.
Unfortunately for my father, the doctors only found that out just before he died.
While my dad could have lost his battle, there are millions of men worldwide who have gone through the same and have survived.
Many others have suffered in silence and died.
Why do men suffer in silence?
Somehow they always think that going to see a doctor is a sign of weakness. They think talking about the pain they feel down there is the worst emasculation they can go through. But what they do not know is that, just getting checked for prostate cancer will significantly increase their chances of survival.
According to the National Cancer Registry report of 2018, prostate cancer accounts for 27,9 percent of all cancer cases in Zimbabwe, making it the most common form of cancer among men.
Prostate cancer is also the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among Zimbabwean men.
So it is crucial to talk about this disease.
This November, we are painting Zimbabwe blue as we raise awareness of prostate cancer.
The prostate is a gland found only in males and is situated below the bladder (the hollow organ where urine is stored) and in front of the rectum (the last part of the intestines). It makes some of the fluid that is part of semen.
According to experts, there are different types of prostate cancer and some grow and spread quickly while most grow slowly. In fact, autopsy studies show that many older men (and even some younger men) who died of other causes also had prostate cancer that never affected them during their lives. In many cases, neither them nor their doctors even knew they had it.
The most common symptoms of prostate cancer are trouble in urinating, decreased force in the stream of urine, bowel problems, impotence, blood in the urine, blood in the semen, bone pain, losing weight without trying and erectile dysfunction.
The risk factors for getting prostate cancer include age, (about 6 in 10 cases of prostate cancer are found in men older than 65), ethnicity; prostate cancer develops more often in African American men and in Caribbean men of African ancestry than in men of other races although the reasons for these racial and ethnic differences remain unclear.
Prostate cancer also seems to run in some families, which suggests that in some cases there may be an inherited and genetic factors. Having a father or brother with prostate cancer more than doubles a man’s risk of developing this disease. Still, most prostate cancers occur in men without a family history of it.
How is the disease diagnosed and treated?
Prostate screening is recommended for men aged 45 to 70 years as it leads to early detection of disease and improved clinical outcomes.
The screening procedure entails a blood test called serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and a digital rectal examination (DRE) performed by a skilled clinician.
Once diagnosed, there are treatment options available.
The most common treatments for localised (early-stage) prostate cancer are surgery to remove the prostate, radiation therapy, and active surveillance (getting tested regularly, and treating the cancer only if it grows or causes symptoms).
Considerations on the course of treatment depend on the stage of disease, performance status of the patient, availability of the treatment, and most importantly the cost.
Prostate cancer treatments can however have a direct effect on a man’s sex life.
According to experts, after prostatectomy and radiotherapy treatment, a patient can experience erection problems (erectile dysfunction) and changes to ejaculation or orgasm.
“Treatment can affect the ability to have an orgasm or to ejaculate. After a prostatectomy, it is not possible to ejaculate, but it is possible to have an orgasm. After external radiotherapy or brachytherapy, it is common to not produce much semen but still orgasm,” the Ministry of Health and Child Care says.
“Some treatments can also bring changes to sex drive because hormonal therapy, which a patient may have with radiotherapy, lowers their desire to have sex (libido).”
However, like I have said, most prostate cancer patients remain undiagnosed and untreated because they are not comfortable speaking about anything that affects their sex organs, sex lives or lack thereof.
There is very little awareness about this type of cancer and that, coupled with the bad health seeking behaviours of Zimbabwean men, results in the presenting late when the cancer is already at an advanced stage.
Others seem to think that prostate cancer is a disease of the rich, that there is no available treatment and that it only affects very old men
But the major reason why men fear being screened for prostate cancer is that they would then have to be castrated.
This could not be further from the truth!
When diagnosed at an early stage when the cancer is still confined to the prostate gland, men can typically have surgery to remove the cancerous prostate gland or radiation treatment to destroy the cancerous cells in the gland.
Surgical castration is then done if the prostate cancer advances and becomes castrate resistant.
Once everything has been said and done, there are ways of protecting oneself from prostate cancer and surviving after being cured of it.
One should get to and stay at a healthy weight, keep physically active, follow a healthy eating pattern, which includes a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and avoid or limit red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and highly processed foods.
The bottom line is that one can live a healthy life before and after prostate cancer.
It only takes one’s willingness.
Remember, once you notice the symptoms, speak out! Anyone can get prostate cancer and anyone can survive it.
Your health comes first!
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Online Reporter