TODAY’S VIEWPOINT FOCUSES ON PROSTATE CANCER, CAUSES, RISKS & PREVENTION. IT IS WRITTEN BY HEAD OF EDITORIAL UNIT, YETUNDE OKE
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
It was initially a disease of men above the age of fifty-five, but of recent, there has been reports of increase in the number of young men.
Data analysis on prostate cancer in young adults shows that the incidence of prostate cancer has increased in all age groups between 15 and 40 years worldwide.
Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death among men globally.
Prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland as a small walnut-shaped gland in the male reproductive system.
It is confined to the prostate, but it can sometimes grow quickly and spread to other parts of the body.
According to United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for every 100 people with prostates, 13 will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
More also, West Africa has the fifth highest risk for prostate cancer mortality in the world.
For Nigerian men, prostate cancer is both the most common and most deadly cancer with 32·8 cases and 16·3 deaths per 100 000 men, with an estimated 80% of Nigerians incurable on diagnosis.
Advancing age, black race, and family history are well-established risk factors for prostate cancer.
Meanwhile, more lifestyle and dietary risk factors that might increase the risk of prostate cancer are obesity, diabetes mellitus and dietary patterns.
Race and ethnicity are also a risk factor.
According to researchers, people with black or of African ancestry are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
Meanwhile, since prostate cancer is now prevalent in young men, it is therefore important to consider prostate cancer in young men as a different entity and develop appropriate ways to control the disease.
However, the first step of screening for the diagnosis of Nigerian men with prostate cancer is genetic testing, but it is currently unavailable.
The situation is worse in young men whose diagnosis may be missed because of low suspicion of the disease at presentation.
Contributory factors to this include inadequate population awareness, low levels of literacy and empowerment in addition to a poor health system leading to low uptake of screening services, and poor access to treatment.
Genetic testing, and screening that are available in high-income countries create an environment to help access optimal care, however, the situation is different in low-income countries such as Nigeria.
In conclusion, preventing prostate cancer is not possible, it is still advisable to get regular prostate screenings, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, eat nutritious diets and quit smoking.
THAT VIEWPOINT ON PROSTATE CANCER, CAUSES, RISKS & PREVENTION WAS WRITTEN BY HEAD OF EDITORIAL UNIT, YETUNDE OKE
