By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Tema, Sept. 13, GNA — Age, family history, obesity and race are among factors that can increase a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer, Dr John Nana Nkrumah, a Urologist and Senior Specialist at the GPHA Clinic and International Maritime Hospital, has said.
Dr Nkrumah, at media forum powered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) said men aged 40 years and above should take prostate cancer screening seriously, particularly because the disease could occur without obvious symptoms.
He identified age as a major risk factor, explaining that prostate cancer was traditionally associated with older men but was increasingly being diagnosed at younger ages.
He said he had personally encountered a 37-year-old man with prostate cancer, although screening programmes generally targeted older age groups where the expected yield was higher.
Dr Nkrumah also identified family history as another important risk factor, explaining that first-degree relatives included a man’s father, children and siblings, saying having prostate cancer among such relatives increased the man’s risk.
He further said family histories of other cancers, including breast, ovarian, pancreatic and colon cancers, could also have genetic associations relevant to prostate cancer risk.
Dr Nkrumah said having one first-degree relative with prostate cancer could increase a man’s risk threefold, while the risk increased further when more family members were affected.
Dr Nkrumah also identified obesity as another risk factor, stressing that men who consumed a lot of fatty foods and red meat were considered more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with those whose diets included Mediterranean-style foods and vegetables.
He also noted that prostate cancer was particularly common and potentially aggressive among black men, emphasising the need for those aged 40 years and above and those with a relevant family history, to seek medical advice and undergo screening.
He said it was extremely important to undergo screening as prostate cancer could progress and spread without producing obvious symptoms.
The urologist stated that some people could have the disease without knowing it, making regular screening important for early detection and treatment, adding that in some cases, the cancer could even become metastatic before the patient experienced noticeable symptoms.
He said the disease could spread through the lymph nodes, bones or bloodstream, making screening particularly important because waiting for symptoms could mean waiting until the disease had already progressed.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reporter: Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo, GNA
Email: [email protected]