Men aged 40 and above must undergo screening once every two years against prostate cancer, Dr. Mattew Kyei, a urologist at the Korle Bu Hospital has said.

He revealed that 140 diagnosed cases are recorded every year. Dr. Kyei was addressing representatives of security personnel during the monthly health sensitization workshop being undertakne by the Ghana Health Service. He explained that one out of five healthy looking men aged 50 and above randomly selected to assess their level of prostate disorders tested positive although they did not exhibit the symptoms.
Dr. Kyei described the disease as the second cause of death in men, adding that “the chances of getting prostate cancer rises with age.
“Chances are that about 20 percent of men currently have the disease with five people dying every month and other cases developing into serious complications.

Dr Matthew Kyei disclosed that prostate cancer could be inherited genetically, cautioning that any man with a family record of an infected member should contact the nearest clinic for screening and further treatment.

He advised that instead of the red meat and other high fat and calcium foods, older men should eat more vegetables and fruits to reduce their chances of being infected.

Dr Kyei was, however, unhappy about the absence of a dedicated national urological centre to take care of issues peculiar to men.
He attributed the inability of patients to seek treatment to lack of privacy between the doctor and patient, adding that currently the consulting room always contains more than one doctor and patient at the same time.
Dr. Kyei made a passionate appeal to government to support the Ghana Health Service to establish the centre to encourage more doctors specialize in the field.

Giving the participants and overview of the programme, the Director of the Ghana Health, Dr Elias Sory, said the monthly programme has been designed to educate workers on dangers of certain diseases which are not often talked about in the society due to ignorance.

He noted that although prostate cancer was equally dangerous, the most commonly known cancer cases are breast and cervical cancer in women. He advised the general public to read more about health related issues in order to be abreast with it.

The Director for Prisons, Michael Kofi Bansah, expressed appreciation to the Ghana Health Service for the initiative and hoped that the security personnel would be given further education on the necessary health issues when possible.

Source: The Ghanaian Times/Ghana