• Safiu Kehinde

An Urologist, Dr Chidiebere Ogo, has, on Tuesday, warned men above 40 years against excessive consumption of red meat.

He gave the warning during a Prostate Cancer Awareness & Screening held in Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun, organised by the Covenant Applied Informatics and Communication, African Centre of Excellence (CApiC-ACE), Covenant University, Ota.

Ogo, a Chief Consultant at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said that this was to reduce the burden of prostate cancer in the country.

The centre was in partnership with Prostrate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium (CApTC) and Beulah World Initiative (BWI).

According to him, excessive intake of red meat by males above 40 years has the tendency of increasing the risk of prostate cancer.

“Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer afflicting and killing men in the country. It is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among men in Nigeria.

“This disease can be fatal, if not detected early and appropriate treatment not ministered to the patient,” he said.

The urologist advised men, who are 40 years and above, especially those with a family history of prostate cancer to present themselves to a doctor for screening.

“So, we encourage men to go for cancer screening, knowing the high incidence and mortality rate of the cancer,” Ogo said.

He explained that every man had a prostate gland, which could be afflicted by cancer, saying that early detection held the key to survival of the patient.

Meanwhile, Ogo noted that prostate cancer is not a death sentence once it is detected early, saying such individual could be cured.

The urologist, however, appealed to the Federal Government to make concerted efforts to open more cancer screening centres, as the country did not have a nationwide screening.

Also speaking at the event, Prof. Emeka Iweala, Centre Leader, CApIC-ACE/CApTC, Covenant University, Ota, said that one of the reasons for embarking on the awareness was because prostate cancer was deadly among men in Nigeria and beyond.

Iweala, also a biochemist, said that it decided to embark on creating awareness, so that people would understand what prostate cancer was and its causes.

He added that the public should also know the symptoms of prostrate cancer and how to treat it.

The don cautioned the public against self medication, adding that they should consult the right medical personnel to get early diagnosis.

Ms Chichi Ononiwo, Founder of BWI, in a presentation, said that the psychological and social impact of cancer could be relentless.

In the presentation with the title, “Developing a Superior Mindset Against the Onslaught of Cancers”, she said that prostate cancer presented challenges not just at diagnosis but throughout treatment, and even well into recovery.

Ononiwo explained that there were many factors that influenced how a patient responded to cancer diagnosis, managed the ongoing challenges of treatment, and navigated their post treatment life.

She said such factors included interaction with their care team, social support, coping style, personality and socioeconomic status.

A beneficiary of the screening exercise, Mr Adeyinka Aremu, commended the organisers of the exercise, saying it had made him more knowledgeable about prostrate cancer.