Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Ms Nomagugu Simelane has urged men aged 50 and over to get screened and tested for prostate cancer.
The health department said in a statement that prostate cancer was said to be the most common male cancer globally and locally and, according to the 2019 National Cancer Registry, 1 in 15 South African men were at risk of suffering from prostate cancer.
The department added research had shown that due to genetic factors and socio-economic status, the risk of prostate cancer was higher among black men.
Prostate cancer also tends to run in families, making it vital for men to know their family cancer history, especially where there was prostate or breast cancer in a first degree family relative, according to the Cancer Association of South Africa.
Speaking on the department’s weekly KZN Health Chat multimedia programme recently, Simelane urged the public to move away from myths such as that cancer is caused by “witchcraft,” but rather initiate and have truthful conversations about cancer to prevent deaths.
“As we begin the year, we are encouraging all men aged 50 and above, and those aged 45 and above who have a history of prostate cancer in the family, to start on a clean slate by getting screened and tested for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer need not be a killer disease; but it often is, because people don’t go and get tested early enough… They tend to discover that they have it when it’s simply too late,” said Simelane.
The department said men should take heed of the following information:
- The prostate gland is a small organ that is found only in men. The gland is located below the urinary bladder, and the urethra runs through it. The normal function of the prostate gland is to make part of the seminal fluid or semen that is released during ejaculation. The semen also carries and nourishes the sperm. The prostate can be affected by cancerous or non-cancerous enlargement or infection.
- Cancer of the prostate develops in the prostate gland and the cancer cells may eventually spread outside the gland to other parts of the body. Prostate cancer generally grows slowly.
It said the actual cause of prostate cancer was not known, but the following risk factors had been identified:
- Age is the major risk factor: Men over 50 years are at risk. More than 80% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.
- Family history/genetic factors: If a father or brother had prostate cancer, there is an increased risk of getting the disease.
- Unhealthy diet: There is a relationship between a diet high in animal fat and protein (especially red meat), and prostate cancer.
It offered the following tips to reduce the risk of prostate cancer:
- Go for annual screening from the age of 50. If there is family history of prostate cancer, annual screening is advisable from the age of 45.
- Maintain a diet low in animal fat, and protein is advisable.
- Living a healthy lifestyle – physical activity.