NGO hosts prostate cancer walk to create awareness in Lagos
Project Pink Blue, a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) promoting cancer awareness and management, with support from Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation hosted a 5km Lagos prostate cancer walk recently at National Stadium, Lagos to commemorate prostate cancer awareness month.
According to press statement made available to BusinessDay, the prostate cancer walk is part of the “Men on Blue” project, focused of creating awareness of prostate cancer in Nigeria.
“The project started in Enugu with Enugu prostate cancer walk, where over 1000 men were engaged and 321 received free prostate specific antigen (PSA) test and later in Abuja where 1230 men were screened and all the people screened are navigated for care as the case may be,” it says.
The World Health Organization 2018 report shows that 70,327 Nigerians die every year from cancer while 115,950 new cases are diagnosis every year, 22 per cent (26,310) are breast cancer and 11.3 per cent (13078) are prostate cancer.
“Very few or nothing is said about prostate cancer, we see thousands of Nigerian families losing their fathers, uncles and brothers to prostate cancer,” said Runcie Chidebe, the convener and executive director of project pink blue.
Chidebe said that September is prostate cancer month, hence, the organisation is using this Lagos prostate cancer walk to create awareness, provide free screenings, and support.
“Nigerian men must take their health seriously, treatment outcome of prostate cancer is high if detected early, and the problem is that most men present late prostate cancer.”
“I want to urge Nigeria’s Federal Government and State government to invest in cancer prevention like national cancer screenings, no nation will thrive by losing its older generation. We are losing our mentors and source of inspiration to prostate cancer,” he said.
In Nigeria, Prostate cancer has become the most common cause of cancer death among men. The cancer develops mainly in older men and could be more aggressive in African men compared to men of other races.
Men aged 65 or older are more at risk of prostate cancer, the average age at the time of diagnosis is about 66. Hence, it is rare in younger men, however, with the increasing rate of prostate cancer, men aged 40 above are encouraged to get screened.
Researchers have found several factors that might affect a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer, these are: age (6 in 10 cases of prostate cancer are found in men older than 65 years), family history/genetic factor (having a factor or brother with prostate cancer more than doubles a man’s risk of developing this disease), poor diet, obesity (overweight), smoking, exposures to some chemicals, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and vasectomy.
Also speaking Joe Okei-Odumakin, president Women Arise said prostate cancer is now critical public health issue in Nigeria; the health of citizens should be protected from the scourge.
“More Nigerians are dying of prostate cancer because of late diagnosis, access to cancer drugs and limited treatment facilities.
“I hereby call on the government to invest in cancer care, subsidize cancer drugs and provide more budgetary funding to healthcare and also call on philanthropists in Nigeria to please support the fight against prostate cancer, let’s save our men from prostate cancer,” Okei-Odumakin said.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH