1 In 5 Ghanaian Men Will Get Prostate Cancer In Their Lifetime Research

What I mean by risk?
There are diverse ways of explaining a man's risk of getting prostate cancer. It is already established that Black men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men of the same age. This information is just a different way of explaining a Ghanaian man's risk of getting prostate cancer but if you have family history of the disease yours is still higher although you in the risk group.

Lifetime risk means the risk that someone has of being diagnosed with the disease at some point during their life.

We know that people find lifetime risk a clear way of understanding their chances of getting a disease. So I decided to work out Ghanaian men's lifetime risk of getting prostate cancer.

How did I work this out?
With the support of Men's Health Foundation Ghana expects Team I worked out Ghanaian men's lifetime risk of getting prostate cancer.

I used different types of data about who gets prostate cancer annually in Ghana and the result of our work in organizing prostate cancer screening using the local churches, communities and corporate organizations result findings to work this out.

• The number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, their ages and family history since January 2014 to January 2015.

• Men who died of prostate cancer annually when diagnosed with the disease in Ghana

What I find?
I used all this information to calculate Ghanaian men's lifetime risk of getting prostate cancer.

I found that 1 in 5 Ghanaian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives .so from my work the four things I want all Ghanaian men to know:

Know your risk
Know the possible symptoms
Know your rights
Know where you can get support
Copy of our full findings on prostate cancer in Ghana

Headline statistics (Ghana)
• prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Ghana now

• Estimated number of new cases per year 921
• Estimated number of death per year 738
• It is estimated that by 2030, prostate cancer will be the most commonly diagnosed cancer

• Ghana has exceeded global prostate limits as the country records 200 cases out of every 100,000 men as against 170 world-wide, a survey by the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital revealed

• Prostate cancer accounted for 349/479 GU cancers in males

• Estimated 1 year prevalence: 734
• Estimated 5 year prevalence: 2,451
• Estimated age standardized incidence (in 2002): 71/100,000

Estimated age standardized death rate (in 2005): 55/100,000

508 men weekly visit the facility for replacement of their catheter at Korlebu according to Dr. Mensah of the urology unit

about 150 men visit the facility every day, according to Dr. Mensah head of Urology unit, Korle bu Teaching Hospital

Supporting Statistics (Ghana)
• 95% of Ghanaian men are not aware of prostate cancer

• Closed to 1000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer yearly in Ghana

• 1 in 5 men will get prostate cancer in Ghana
• 7 out of 9 men diagnosed with prostate cancer will die in Ghana

• 3 of 4 men will get enlarged prostate
• Unspecified number of Ghanaian men are living with and after prostate cancer in Ghana

• almost 10 out of 10 adults (100) in Ghana don't know what the prostate gland does

• 95% of Ghanaian men didn't know the Prostate sits underneath the bladder.

• 5% correctly thought it was the size of a golf ball.

• 95% of Ghanaian men don't know that closed to 1000 men diagnosed with Prostate Cancer yearly in Ghana and closed to 800 men died of the disease.

• 100% of Ghanaian men said that not enough is being done in Ghana about it to raise awareness on the disease.

• Not enough Ghanaian men know about their risk of prostate cancer.

• 98% are not even aware that being black is a key risk factor.

• 100% said it was time for Ghana to consider a specific policy on prostate cancer in Ghana and men must screen for free under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)

• Statistics areas we used: churches, corporate institutions and communities

• Total of 100 Men answered the Men united V Prostate Cancer Questionnaire form

• The screening involved ultrasound and PSA simultaneous

• Highest PSA level =3756ng/ml
• Age group=45-75years
• 12 referred Men who came after biopsy
• 5 confirmed with prostate cancer
• 99.99% of Ghanaian men were not happy with their sex life

• The clergy and fire service had excellent prostate health at Dodowa

• Highest Prostate Volume -=274g
• Lowest prostate volume=8.75g
• 90% of Ghanaian men prefer herbal medicine because of media advertisement and bogus treatment claims

• 5% had family history of the disease , Some also don't know

• 90% also don't know that the PSA test is not a test for prostate cancer but it is a test to know your risk of prostate cancer simply it is a prostate cancer risk test and normal result doesn't mean that you are cancer free!

90% men also don't receive the right treatment information regarding prostate cancer treatment.

92% also don't know that there is no evidence of using traditional herbal medicine to cure prostate cancer and they are only move by media advertisement of false cancer cure!

90% also don't know the benefits of using complementary medicine in the management of prostate cancer and it right use

95% are not aware of the PSA test for prostate cancer screening

90% also don't know the work of the prostate gland also thought that it is a taboo for a man to have prostate because of the education they received.

Almost, 100% of Ghanaian men don't know that not all men diagnosed with prostate cancer will need treatment and also don't know that watchful waiting and active surveillance is part of the management process of prostate cancer

Almost 100% of women also thought that promiscuous men or womanizers get prostate cancer

90% of men also thought that frequent sex, multiple sexual partners get this dreaded disease

90% of Ghanaian men don't know the difference between enlarged prostate, prostate cancer and prostatitis!

98% of herbal practitioners in Ghana don't have much knowledge in the disease and it management and would also not refer patients to see urologist or prostate cancer medical expert hence there is the need for collaboration between this practitioners and the Traditional and alternative heath practice council must organized programs in cancer management to members who want to specialize in the field.

98% of men also don't know that the quality of treatment received, rate of survival and support also depends upon where men live

Almost 100 of men also don't know when using the natural approach for prostate cancer management it may takes time and hence they must not expect immediate result

Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu is a Naturopathic oncologist specializes in prostate cancer and studied the Msc program in Prostate cancer - Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He is the CEO –De Men's clinic and Prostate Research lab in Dodowa, Akoto House. Tel 0541090045/0500106570. E mail, [email protected]