A Consultant Urologist, Dr Rufus Ojewola, says effective management of prostate cancer/diseases requires a multidisciplinary approach and services of all branches of medicine.
Ojewola, an Associate Professor, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), gave the advice at a scientific conference organised by Association Medical Laboratory Scientist of Nigerian (AMLSN) on Thursday in Lagos
The conference had the theme: “Holistic Approach to Prostate Disorders: Integrating Multidisciplinary Strategies for Precision Diagnosis.”
According to him, to diagnose, treat and manage a patient with prostate diseases requires the services of more than a doctor, saying that the services of all branches of laboratory medicine are needed.
He explained that the services of urologist, hematologist, radiologist, lab scientist, radiographer and other beaches of medicine would all be needed at one point or the other in the management of prostate cancer.
“It takes more than one specialist to diagnose, treat and manage a patient with prostate disease.
“Sometimes, you need to send samples to the laboratory, or ask for radiological evaluation by ultrasound and other imaging studies to get a complete information so that you can treat patient properly.
“As a urologist, I ask the patients questions about symptoms and I examine to get their signs, but of course, I will need to depend on results of what was found in the blood, in urine and other things.
“The summary of the conference is to raise awareness that prostate diseases are very common in our environment, hence, the need for people to summit themselves for screening,” Ojewola said.
Ojewola, who admitted that there were some myths, beliefs and misconceptions about prostate cancer, refuted the trending misconception that if a man engages in regular sex of up to 21 times per month, it reduces his chances of developing prostate cancer.
According to him, there is no known cause of prostate cancer, but, age, race heredity are the major risk factors of the disease.
He said: “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men beyond the middle age.
“There has been some insinuations and misconceptions about prostate cancer; most people have attributed it to spiritual attack, having multiple sexual partners and sexually transmitted diseases; but scientifically, these are not true.
“The major causes of prostatic disease are ageing process, which makes the prostate to enlarge.
“Also, racial predispositions, because prostate diseases are generally more common in black men than men of other races and the third most important cause of the disease is hereditary; because prostate diseases can run in a family.”
The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Felix Ofungwu, advised men to ensure they present prostate disorder cases early to the hospital, saying that early detection was key to the management of the disease.
Ofungwu, also the Medical Director of ISN Medicals Nigeria Ltd., noted that prostate cancer, when detected early and managed probably, there was 95 per cent chance of survival.
He, therefore, encouraged men to go for the PSA test as it was imperative for early detection, saying that 14 per cent of cancer related deaths in men were caused by prostate cancer.
Earlier, the Chairman of AMLSN, Lagos Chapter, Mr Abioye Omoyemi, said there was need for increased advocacy and education about prostate disorders to make people more informed about the health condition.
Omoyemi said that the cases and rate of prostate disorders; be it either prostate cancer or prostatitis, were beginning to be so alarming in the hospitals recently.
According to him, in times past, cases of prostate cancer are found among very older men, but, these days, a man of 38 – 40 years is being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He explained that prostate cancer might not be necessarily prevented because the major causative factors – ageing, race and heredity could not be modified.
He, therefore, advised men above 40 years of age to go for Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening on yearly basis for early detection and proper management of prostate disorders.
“In recent times, prostate disorders; be a prostate cancer, prostatitis or other prostate diseases have been a devil that has befallen man. And this is beginning to be very alarming in our various hospitals lately.
“In those days, prostate cancer was found among very older men, but, these days, as young as about 40-year-old man will be waking up in the night to urinate more than 15 to 20 times; it calls for concern,” he said.
NAN
