Men have been encouraged to pay closer attention to their prostate, as a candid step in preventing prostate cancer.
According to a prostate cancer survivor, and professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, prostate cancer is taking away Nigerian men in their prime age, adding that there is the need for men to show extra concern to their health.
Utomi stated this at this year’s edition of “Men on Blue’s” prostate cancer webinar, put in place by two NGOs- Project PINK BLUE (PPB), Inclusive Cancer Care Research Equity for Black Men Consortium, and JNCI International.
The webinar, which had leading cancer scientists, health system experts and stakeholders, was organised to commemorate the International Men’s Day.
The Professor called on Nigerian men to see prostate health as an obligation, and to carry out annual medical checkup of their body including prostate cancer, adding that his father died of cancer at 52 years.
Delving into his personal experience ofsurvving prostate cancer, Utomi said at the onset of COVID-19, around 2020, his Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) was found to be elevated and he was asked to see a urologist and later had a direct rectal examination.
“The results showed positive for prostate cancer. A disease is a disease, what is the difference between malaria and cancer? I had 45 sessions of radiotherapy, hormone treatment and other medications. Today, my PSA has dropped to a normal level. My hormone treatment will go on till next year,” he explained.
Utomi said that there is a lot of ignorance about prostate cancer, wondering why enough has not being done to get men aware.
According to him, there are lots of men of his age who are having problems with their prostate but they are hiding it and unfortunately they are dying.
The Professor said treating cancer was not affordable in Nigeria, adding that there was the need for public-private sector collaboration and investment.
He said many bottlenecks exist in setting up a cancer centre in Nigeria and that the Nigeria Nuclear Radiation Authority charges for a licence to import equipment, fees to register the premises, and more fees to commission the equipment.
He disclosed that N17.5 million was required to set up one cancer machine, in addition to customs duties, and many other, adding that these charges are being passed on to cancer patients.
Utomi, a former presidential candidate, however, said that there was need for rethinking of cancer control and make treatment accessible to many Nigerians.
Mr Runcie Chidebe, the Executive Director of PPB and the convener of the webinar said “Every day in Nigeria, we hear and see breast cancer survivors, but prostate cancer survivors are rarely seen or heard of.
According to him, based on the above fact, many Nigerians still assume that cancer is a ‘woman’s thing’ and that the challenges of men battling prostate cancer are not always discussed and rarely considered for intervention.
He said that the NGO Men on Blue initiative started in 2017 as a platform to create awareness of prostate cancer among Nigerian men and to advocate better policies for men.
Clare Omatseye, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), JNCI International and Vice President of the African Healthcare Federation, noted that prostate cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in Nigerian men.
“In 2020, 15,306 Nigerian men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 8,517 deaths were recorded.
“The risk factors of prostate cancer are first, being a man, second, age, and third being black. Genetically, there is something about Black people that increases the prostate cancer risk and makes it more aggressive in black men,” he said
Mr Solomon Rotimi, professor of Biochemistry at Covenant University, also identified other risk factors of prostate as smoking, obesity, stress and having multiple sexual partners.
