PROSTATE cancer is a serious disease but most men diagnosed with the condition do not die from it. In fact, more than 3.3 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive today.

Jamaican men have an unusually high incidence of prostate cancer — which is the largest cause of cancer-related deaths in the island among males and females — however, men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Jamaica have a good survival rate when the disease is caught early through regular testing.

“It is better to do the test than not to do the test so if you can’t do the dreaded digital rectal examination, please do the blood test,” Quinton Yearde, a cancer survivor for five years, stated during a virtual forum hosted recently by the
Wellness Men Mastery
YouTube channel.

He pointed out that when caught early, there is a 96 per cent recovery rate for prostate cancer.

“Once you hit 40, get tested. If you have a history of cancer in your family, get tested. Prostate issues are common so it is not if, it is when. It is better to get tested so you can know exactly what is happening,” advised Yearde.

He is hoping that more famous men will help to speak out on the issues associated with prostate cancer and how they have overcome them. He anticipates that their experiences will help to inspire other men to get tested.

“Many people believe prostate cancer is a death sentence. It is not, treatment is available; it is one of the few cancers that can be successfully treated,” stated Yearde who is a spokesperson for Brothers United Against Prostate Cancer, a group that has been spreading awareness about the disease. Members of the group recently shared their survival stories on the group’s
YouTube channel of the same name, which carries information to improve the health-seeking behaviour of men.

During the forum Michael Jureidini, president of Brothers United Against Prostate Cancer, indicated that a number of other issues may be associated with the prostate that are not related to a cancer diagnosis.

“When you do the prostate-specific antigen test (PSA), the results will give the medical professionals an indication of what is happening. That is why we ask people to do the test early, so that will give a baseline reading,” explained Jureidini.

“You can go in 12 months later and do it again and get another reading. The following year, the reading numbers may increase, and this is where the doctors will know that something is not normal,” Jureidini added.

Prostate cancer often has no symptoms until the disease is advanced thus screening may help detect cancer early, when the chances of successful treatment are high. You may have more than one risk factor at play and thus have a greater chance of developing prostate cancer, Jureidini also shared.

“A doctor may tell you that you have 10 years but when the intervention starts, especially at a late stage, it can be really debilitating. I have lost a few friends that elected to just ride it out. The cancer would have spread to other parts of their bodies, and it was really agonising to lose them,” Jureidini added.

PROSTATE CANCER FACTS

•Prostate cancer is more likely to develop in older men, and about six in 10 prostate cancers are diagnosed in men who are 65 or older. It is rare in men under 40.

•The probability of prostate cancer risk is also higher in African American men, and in Caribbean men of African ancestry, than in men of other races.

•About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to American Cancer Society, but each man’s risk of prostate cancer can vary based on his age, race, ethnicity, and other factors.