By Ummul Idris
Abuja – Dr Yunusa Nda, a medical practitioner, says that one out of every nine men are prone to prostate cancer, therefore, they should always go for early diagnosis and treatment.
Nda, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday, said receiving cancer diagnosis remained one of the most terrifying experiences someone could have.
According to the medical expert, roughly one in every nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime.
“Fortunately, a prostate cancer diagnosis is far from a death sentence.
“Roughly, 96 per cent of men treated for prostate cancer of all stages are alive, 15 years after diagnosis and treatment,“ he said.
He said that many prostate cancer cases tended to be slow-growing,meaning that the tumours grew so slowly that they were unlikely to be life-threatening or to impact quality of life.
According to Nda, it may also take up to 30 years for a prostate tumour to grow large enough to cause symptoms.
Nda said that for men diagnosed of prostate cancer, doctors often recommended` watchful waiting or active surveillance. “
According to him, this is because surgery and radiation therapy come with their set of risks such as post-treatment incontinence.
The expert said, however, that surgery and radiation therapy were recommended for early stage I and II prostate cancer.
“Sometimes, blood tests and biopsies may indicate that a guy’s cancer is likely to spread, thus, making surgery or radiation necessary.
“Men may undergo a prostatectomy to remove the entire prostate gland since it is not possible to simply remove the tumour due to the shape of the prostate,’’ Nda said.
According to him, generally, surgery is preferred for younger men who have a better chance of not developing post-surgery side effects such as impotence and incontinence.
He explained that, once the prostate was removed, those concerned would no longer able to produce semen.
The medical expert added that the testicles would, however, continue to make sperm cells which would be reabsorbed by the body.
The medical practitioner said that doctors could perform a traditional open surgery, which involved making an incision in the lower abdomen.
According to him, alternatively, a surgeon might perform a robot-assisted operation, which requires using special instruments to perform the operation through a handful of tiny, keyhole-sized incisions, leaving patients with less pain and scarring.
Wikipaedia defines a prostatectomy as surgery to remove all or part of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland located between a man’s bladder and penis.
It says that a prostatectomy might be needed, if one has prostate cancer, severe urinary symptoms, or an enlarged prostate. (NAN)
