By Eddie Mokoena
There was once a time when some ailments were dismissed as “white men’s diseases” and these included among them, prostate cancer. According to the 2022 Prostrate Cancer Foundation study done in collaboration with the Urology Hospital, prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in South Africa. Approximately, 1 in 4 black men and 1 in 8 white males have prostate cancer. Furthermore, international and local research indicates that the risk for aggressive prostate cancer is higher in black men. Zodwa Gumede, 70, concurs with the study’s recommendation that men of African origin screen from the age of 40 because the study’s findings further reveal early detection is key and those with a family history of prostate cancer should be screened often.
This view was also shared by Malcolm Anthony, Chief Executive Officer of the Urology Hospital in Pretoria. Gumede’s husband is a prostrate survivor and was first diagnosed 21 years ago at age 50. She told Men’s Voice that often there are no symptoms of prostate cancer in the early stages.
However, “couples need to often observe each other closely because they may notice some abnormalities. These abnormalities amongst men especially include urinary flow problems, spending a long time in the loo, blood in the urine as well as lack of sexual appetite”.
“Also they may suffer from severe constipation. This is due to the urethra’s proximity to the rectum. If the gland grows it blocks the bowel and then it packs up”. Gumede spoke on behalf of her 71-yer old husband who now has Alzheimer’s (no correlation with prostate cancer). She emphasised the benefits of early detection because at that stage the gland could be scrapped (not all of it). Sometimes the gland is not even cancerous yet. Therefore, it will be treated with medication and patients will not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment, Gumede advised. Andrew Oberholzer, CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation agrees with Gumede’s assertion adding that, “screening regularly may have the benefit of early cancer detection when it is still potentially curable. Once it has metastasized there is no cure”. Men from the age of 40 in the black community, especially those with a family history of prostate or breast cancer must make it a habit to test regularly. “Regularly testing by couples especially has a potential to minimise the spread of cancer and they (those detected with cancer) could live a longer and healthier lifestyle “, Gumede said. Even before her husband was detected with prostate cancer, Gumede was first exposed to it when her father had it. Like her husband, her father too was fortunate as it was detected early and he went for treatment. “My father was fortunate because it was detected early and soon after he embarked on a healthy lifestyle. He lived until he was 90. So when my husband was diagnosed I was better exposed and we immediately made all the necessary interventions soonest”, she said. She said this way is safe and has the potential to arrest cancer from spreading to other vital organs. Her 71-year-old husband has been on medication ever since and cancer has been dormant. A professional nurse Gumede is articulate about her husband’s condition. Her advice to men is that early detection is key. If you wait until late, she said there is a risk that the gland has become cancerous. She continued: “by then it could lead to impotency and they may experience excruciating pains. The gland can also grow haywire, blocking the urinary tract which could lead to kidney failure”.
