Prof Pat Utomi, a former presidential candidate and a professor of political economy on Wednesday lamented that prostate cancer is taking away Nigerian men in their prime age.
Utomi made this assertion at the 2023 Men on Blue Prostate Cancer webinar, jointly organised by Project Pink Blue (PPB), Inclusive Cancer Care Research Equity for Black Men Consortium, and JNCI International, both NGOs.
While narrating his own battle with prostate cancer, Utomi urged Nigerian men to see prostate health as an obligation by carrying out annual medical checkups of their body including prostate cancer.
The webinar which had leading cancer scientists, health system experts, and stakeholders was organised to commemorate International Men’s Day.
Utomi said “At the onset of COVID-19, around 2020, my Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) was found to be elevated and I was asked to see a urologist and later had a direct rectal examination.
“The results now 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 stressed.
Utomi said that there is a lot of ignorance about prostate cancer, wondering why enough has not been done to get men aware. Noting that 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.
He explained that treating cancer was not affordable in Nigeria, adding that there was a need for public-private sector collaboration and investment.
He, however, said that so many bottlenecks exist in setting up a cancer centre in Nigeria and that the Nigeria Nuclear Radiation Authority charges for a license 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 others, adding that these charges had now been passed on to the cancer patients.
Utomi, however, said that there was a need for rethinking cancer control and making treatment accessible to many Nigerians.
