Features
The Prostate …a ‘powerhouse’ that needs to be protected
Mr Brobbey
The prostate is a vital but often overlooked organ in the male reproductive system. This small gland plays a crucial role in men’s health, yet issues such as prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostatitis can affect its function and overall well-being.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located below the bladder next to the rectum. Its primary function is to produce fluid that nourishes and protects sperm, aiding in sperm motility and fertility.
The prostate also plays a role in controlling urine flow and ejaculation. Maintaining a healthy prostate is essential for overall male reproductive health and quality of life.
Prostate health can be affected by various conditions, with the most common being prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide. Early detection through regular screenings, such as the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal examination, is crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment.
Prevalence
According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in the United States of America (USA), Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death among men worldwide, with an estimated 1,414,000 new cancer cases and 375,304 deaths in 2020.
It also said, in Africa, Southern Africa has the highest incidence rates of 64.1 per 100,000, followed by Northern Africa with 35.9 per 100,000 while Western Africa recorded 31.9 per 100,000, whereas Eastern and Western 23.9 per 100,000 and 13.2 per 100,000, respectively.
According to NLM prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men of African descent.
In Ghana, evidence from population-based screening showed a prevalence of seven per cent in men between 50 and 74 years with the chance of having prostate cancer going up with age.
According to recent GLOBOCON data, it is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Ghanaian men and accounted for over 2000 new cases in 2020 alone.
Also the chairman of the Taussig Cancer Institute, Professor Alex Adjei, at an annual public lecture on cancer last year said 82 per cent of men with prostate cancer in Ghana die annually.
This, he said indicated that the mortality rate of prostate cancer in the country was higher than deaths related to breast and cervical cancers.
“This is a worrying situation because comparing Ghana to other countries such as US and the UK, they recorded more cases of prostate cancer annually, but have lower mortality rates while the majority survived.
According to Prof. Adjei, Ghana which had three times lower incidence of prostate cancer cases, however, had higher mortality compared to those countries due to late reporting.
Symptoms
An oncology nurse at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Mr Eric Brobbey, said early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms, while more advanced prostate cancer can cause symptoms such as trouble urinating, blood in urine or semen.
Also, he said persons suffering from the disease will have the urge to urinate more often especially at night, have erectile dysfunction, decreased force in the stream of urine, discomfort in the pelvic, pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones.
He mentioned that they also have weakness or numbness in legs or feet, due to spread of cancer to the spine and loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord.
Risk Factors
Mr Brobbey said the chance of having prostate cancer goes up quickly after the age of 50 while men with a first degree male relative (father, brother) who had prostate cancer before age 65 have twofold risk of developing the disease compared with men who do not have a first degree relative with the disease.
“Also, the disease is more common in men of African descent compared with men of other races,” he said.
Screening and early detection
Mr Brobbey said cancer screening was aimed at detecting cancer before any symptoms appear adding that the method used depended on the cancer being screened for.
The benefits of screening, he said included early detection of disease and early treatment possibly for cure.
He mentioned that prostate cancer screening can be done with Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, this is a simple blood test.
Mr Brobbey explained that the antigen was specific to the prostate but not specific for prostate cancer and urged that men should make an informed decision on whether they would like to be screened every year with the PSA test.
Treatment
The oncology nurse said the treatment of the disease depended on the stage of the disease and there were different options for its treatment, stating that sometimes two or more treatment options were needed to be combined and not all treatments were for cure.
“Prostate cancers are treated based on stage, grade and age of the patient,” he added.
Mr Brobbey said that the stage describes the extent of spread of the disease, explaining that stage one is early prostate cancer while stage IV is advance prostate cancer where the tumour has spread to other parts of the body.
“The grade of the disease refers to the appearance of the cancer cells when examined by a pathologist and this is an indication of how quickly and aggressively a cancer is growing,” he stated.
Mr Brobbey urged men to get screened and have their PSA test done to help detect the disease early before symptoms begin to show.
Recommendation
In an attempt to fight the disease at an early stage, a national intervention is needed to create maximum awareness of the disease and also encourage men to go through screening just as breast cancer.
Also lack of coverage for prostate cancer treatment under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana makes it difficult for the less privileged to access and sustain cancer care at any stage of the disease.
Just as some aspects of treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy and some targeted therapies for breast cancers are catered for under NHIS, it is time some aspects of prostate cancer treatment was included in the scheme to give relief to patients.
With the current rate of the disease among men in the country, it is time Ghana embarks on a concerted effort to develop a better strategy for cancer control and invest in the setting up of well-equipped cancer treatment centres for early detection, diagnosis, treatment and research.
Conclusion
The prostate plays a vital role in men’s health and well-being, and protecting this powerhouse is essential for a fulfilling and healthy life.
By adopting a proactive approach to prostate health, making informed lifestyle choices, and seeking timely medical care, men can reduce their risk of prostate-related conditions and maintain optimal prostate function.
It is therefore important to prioritise its protection and care as a healthy prostate is a cornerstone of a man’s overall well-being.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
SIKAMAN is gradually becoming a health-conscious nation because piles is now a national disease. Some natives claim that piles, alias kooko, has gone on strike and has attacked different parts of their bodies — buttocks, forehead, inner ear, inner nose, lips, and hair. Now they do not know where next it would attack, and soon a petition would be sent to Parliament to declare piles a national tragedy.
It is interesting when you consider the way people assume that even common malaria is caused by kooko. Well, the medical authorities have come out to say that piles is a disease of only the last end of the alimentary canal. It has a name. Go and check the name in your biology textbook, or ask the nearest herbalist.
The health consciousness of the average Sikaman native is not limited to kooko, though. People are becoming very much aware of their pot-bellies. They can’t be carrying it all their lives, taking into consideration that half the time, it is laden with gallons of beer.
Even Kwame Alomele is gradually trying to unload the burden that precedes him. “I no longer have the stamina to carry a pot. I am now health-inclined and want to be a slim-macho, doing a sport. I am applying to be a member of a golf club and hope to do wonders with the tiny ball. Fact is I want to be up-and-doing like Gordon Avernogbor, the Grandmaster of GBC fame.”
The media have helped to carry this health idea far. Ghana Television does weekly health programmes, and the FM stations have various programmes and tit-bits on health. Radio Gold is on a Diabetes Month health beat, and patients are made to acquire some knowledge about what they may be suffering from and how they can manage their conditions.
In the print media, the Weekly Spectator has singlehandedly launched a powerful health crusade, and the sky is the limit. In fact, the Spectator has been hailed in medical circles as one of the papers that have zealously carried the health mantle aloft in recent times. The Mirror also runs a health column with my good friend Dr. Anyah in the chair.
Tune in to any of the FM stations and you’re likely to hear a health tit-bit that can be useful to you. You’ll hear something like, “if you eat too much yorke gari, you’ll develop coccidiosis, which is a fowl disease. So check the level of gari and beware of zorzor.”
COCKROACH DIET
Well, healthy living in general has to do with healthy eating. At least, that is what the nutritionists say. And the cockroach has been the most qualified nutritionist in the world. The reason is that the common cockroach is so health-conscious that it eats only a balanced diet — anything from rotten fruit to human excreta. It doesn’t reject food.
The experts say fruits and vegetables, which are alkaline in nature, are good for the human body. There is some truth in this. The silver-back bear, perhaps the most powerful animal in the world, is a vegetarian. It can uproot a tree almost effortlessly, and the power in its arms is attributed to its vegetarian diet.
Anyhow, man cannot continue eating fruits and vegetables perpetually as the main diet. The stomach would get bored, the tongue will revolt, and the human body will subconsciously start crying for banku and okro soup plus giant crabs.
Ideally, a balanced diet — carbohydrates, protein, fats and oils, vitamins and minerals — in their correct quantities are enough to ensure healthy living. It means that you can’t fare well when you eat bread in the morning, bread in the afternoon, and kenkey and shito for supper. There would be a traffic jam in your intestines. And believe me, the traffic lights will also go off.
The killer menu is maintained for three days, and you’ll have what is termed as “treasonable constipation,” a sin against your body. No purgative can save you unless rice and okro soup. That combination is the best purgative in town. In 1983, it used to be one of the famous diets in Legon when famine besieged Sikaman. Students had to abandon lectures and stay close to the WC. Anything can happen. You can’t trust your own stomach.
Exercise also begets health, and brisk walking is the golden rule. I have a friend who is a positive thinker, and he told me walking is no problem to him. He once walked from Osu Christianborg to Circle to Abeka and back to Christiansburg.
No ice-water. No one gave him an award, but I congratulated him. Not that the guy is broke and can’t fix himself up in a trotro or taxi. Walking is his hobby. And his health is always excellent, his appetite ever-ready — no need for bitters. As for his sex life, your guess is as good as mine. He can deliver more than AK-47.
Exercise is good, but it must not wear you down. Do not over-exert. What about sex? Research has shown that excessive indulgence in sex is harmful to the central nervous system because it drains the body of its vitality.
Sex is basically for reproduction, but Ghanaman thinks quite differently. Some experts say twice a week or less is just what the body can cope with. Others say abstain and live long.
But what is the body’s most formidable adversary? It is WORRY. Worry has killed many more people than the Second World War did. About 90% of the population are chronic worriers. People are so addicted to worrying that even when there is nothing to worry about, they worry that there is nothing to worry about.
Worry causes hypertension and its attendant complications of heart disease, stroke, renal failure, and mental illness. The question is, how can man stop worrying? There is a formula by which you can stop worrying.
Make a date with Sikaman Palava in the coming weeks and get your formula for longevity, your life without worry.
This article was first published on Saturday, August 16, 1997.
Christmas has been celebrated ever since I became aware of events as a child and I believe it will continue to be celebrated till thy kingdom come.
The month immediately after Christmas is the month of January and is usually associated with harmattan and its related health challenges like catarrh etc.
Except this year that even on the January 2, there was rainfall in some parts of the country. This is very strange indeed and I pray that the false prophets do not take advantage of it to come up with all kinds of fear mongering predictions.
Growing up, one of the issues that parents and people in general talk about is how long January is and how difficult it is to successfully manage things economically in catering for the needs of the family.
It therefore requires prudent planning to ensure that one is not found wanting in having enough money in the pocket, to cater for the needs of the family after the Christmas holidays.
ln January, a lot of issues crop up. This is the month that students will be returning to school after the holidays and so you can imagine the financial burden it places on parents whose children are in secondary and tertiary institutions.
Money has to be found to provide for provisions at all cost. These days the Free SHS has lessened the burden of parents a bit but if a parent has children, in the tertiary level, then the issue of hostel accommodation comes in and it is not easy to handle.
After managing to see the children off to school, then comes the issue of how to manage to the end of the month when money will be made available to you, as a salaried worker.
Those who ran their own businesses usually do not face such challenge but are also affected in a way because the people who should be buying stuff are not financially sound to patronise goods and services being offered.
In January, I honestly believe that most adults, if they had the power to wish for anything, would wish that they were children. I believe that even for those who are not hypertensive, their blood pressure, if measured and compared to those of previous months, will show a sharp rise each morning in January.
Generally rise in blood pressure is caused by stress apart from the other causes that cones from the food intake and lack of exercise. They say a healthy workforce results in a healthy economy; reason why we pay special attention to the health needs of our leaders.
The cost of the absence of say the President or the Minister for Finance to the state due to illness is huge and likewise the aggregate cost of workers who provide the requisite services for the economy to run smoothly
The whole issue has to do with the low salary levels for most civil and public workers in the country.
One former President once said we pretend to pay them and they also pretend to work. Salaries are not being paid based on living wage and so salaries people receive are not enough to properly take care of their needs and this is what mostly account for this perennial phenomenon which I term as the January Headache. This question of the chicken and the egg, which comes first, as far as salaries are concerned, must be urgently addressed.
The issue of hire purchase, could be one way of addressing this January Headache and government can liaise with supermarkets and other business establishments to take advantage of the Ghana Card, to provide this service to ease the burden of workers especially those who are parents each January. God bless.
NB: KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
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