Men’s cancer awareness under spotlight
KOUGA Express spoke to Alichia van Zyl, a qualified radiation therapist with 18 years of experience, to find out more about cancers and the risks that they pose to men.
Just as October is breast cancer awareness month, November is a month for men’s health awareness, especially prostate and testicular cancers and suicide prevention.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men globally. Globally, more than 1.4 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.
Research has found risk factors that increase one’s chances of getting prostate cancer.
According to Van Zyl, these risk factors include:. Age: The older a man is, the greater his risk of getting prostate cancer although it often manifests more aggressively when diagnosed in younger patients.
Family history: Certain genes (passed from parent to child) that are inherited from one’s parents may affect prostate cancer risk. Currently, no single gene is sure to raise or lower the risk of getting prostate cancer. However, a man with a father, brother, or son who has had prostate cancer is two to three times more likely to develop the disease himself.
Regular prostate screenings should be undertaken from the age of 55 or 45 for men at high risk such as those with a family history of prostate cancer.
Symptoms that should not be ignored:
. Increased urination at night time
Symptoms that should not be ignored: Increased urination at night time
. Difficulty passing urine leads to a weak, interrupted flow of urine. Burning and painful urination and an increased feeling of pressure in the pelvis. Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer differs from prostate cancer. It makes up about 1% of all cancers diagnosed in men and is found most commonly in men aged 15-45. Testicular cancer was previously thought to be incurable but thanks to research done in this field, many curative treatments are now available.
You might be at increased risk for testicular cancer if you:
.Had an undescended testicle(s) at birth or other abnormal development of the testes. Are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Have a genetic problem caused by having an extra X chromosome. Have a personal or family history of testicular cancer.
Van Zyl said, “The only noticeable symptom is a small, hard, painless mass in the testes differing in size. Should this be present, it should immediately be examined by a doctor.”