October is breast cancer month but on Sunday’s edition of Mind,Soul and Body, host Julie Charles and medical practitioner Dr. Garfield Alexander, explored the topic PROSTATE CANCER ,particularly in black men.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of male cancer in the Caribbean. It affects the prostate gland, a small, walnut-shaped gland located under the bladder and in front of the rectum in men. This gland produces seminal fluid, which is responsible for nourishing and transporting sperm for reproduction. Dr Garfield Alexander identified the fact that
There are different types of prostate cancer. Some progress very slowly and require little treatment, while others progress very quickly and require very aggressive treatment.
It is rare for prostate cancer to occur in men under the age of 40, and most cases are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.
Each year there are more than 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed and sadly nearly 34,000 men lose their battle with this cancer each year. If caught early, it is highly treatable and the overall outlook is good.
Causes And Risk Factors
To date, the exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown. What is known is that the cancer develops when the genetic mutations in an abnormal cell’s DNA causes the abnormal cell to grow and multiply out of control. These cells don’t die, as healthy cells do. The continuous growth and multiplication causes a tumor to develop. Once a tumor develops, men often experience problems with urination and sexual abilities. This is what takes them to their doctor, though many men wait until it’s too late because they are simply too embarrassed to talk to their doctors about the problem.
There are a number of risk factors associated with prostate cancer: Dr. Alexander said that age, and family background are significant factors:
Age: This is the strongest risk factor for prostate cancer. It rarely develops before the age of 40, but after 50, the risk increases dramatically. African-American background: Prostate cancer is more prevalent in African-American men, than those from any other background. African-American men are more often diagnosed in more advanced stages and are more than two times more likely to die of prostate cancer than men of other backgrounds.
During the Freedom Fm show, males in the audience called in to support the panelists and to indicate what they were doing in the fight against prostate cancer