Prostate cancer is a known disease in men from the age of sixty. This disease is the first human cancer in the world and the 4th in Guinea, say specialists. To talk about this disease, a reporter from Guineematin.com gave the floor to Doctor Mamadou Bobo Souaré in service at the oncology of Donka University Hospital yesterday, Tuesday, December 13, 2022. Among other things, there was talk of risk factors, manifestations, consequences and prevention of prostate cancer.
According to Dr Mamadou Bobo Souaré, prostate cancer evolves for a long time without noise. “Prostate cancer is a disease that develops in the cells of the prostate. These cells multiply and invade the entire prostate. We are talking about prostate cancer right now. It is a disease that evolves for a long time quietly. The signs of prostate cancer are not necessarily specific to prostate cancer. The signs also appear late, most often it can be pain, when you want to urinate, or urine that comes difficult or it can also be a need to push while urinating “.
There are no obvious causes, argues Dr. Souaré. “When it comes to cancer, there is no obvious cause. There are risk factors. There are three types of risk factors for prostate cancer. There are individual risk factors, there are behavioral risk factors, there are environmental factors. So, for the individual factors, it is the first incriminated factor, it is age. Because prostate cancer most often occurs in people aged around 60, the older the age, the higher the risk of cancer, sometimes around 40% after the age of 75. We also have heredity and a history of cancer in the family, if we have a relative who has already had breast or prostate cancer or another cancer, we are at risk of having another cancer. There are also genetic factors, in particular certain genes found in certain cancers, if they are present in the individual, he has a strong potential to develop prostate cancer. There is also ethnic origin, black people are more likely to get prostate cancer compared to the white race for example. Behavioral factors are overweight, obesity, high fat food consumption, alcohol consumption. And in certain studies also, one highlights the implication of an excessive consumption of calcium and also of vitamin D in the occurrence of cancer. So, the other environmental factors are factors related to the exposure of certain radioactive elements most often, or paints that contain selenium, these factors can induce the occurrence of prostate cancer, “explains Dr Mamadou Bobo Souare.
A certain opinion thinks that the absence of sexual intercourse can be a risk factor. Dr. Souaré provides details. “Some studies have shown instead that this is a protective factor, that intense sexual activity could protect an individual against prostate cancer. But this still remains to be proven by studies. There are not enough studies to detail this hypothesis, but it is nevertheless established that frequent sexual intercourse at least for men, 21 ejaculations per month, could protect against prostate cancer. It also remains to be known, because the people most affected are people aged around 60. Can a person who is 60 years old have 21 ejaculations per month? That’s the big question. It’s not scientifically verified, so we take it with a grain of salt, ”he says.
Speaking of the statistics of the disease, Dr Bobo Souaré lifted a corner of the veil. “You should know that it is the first cancer in the world in men. With us here, the proportion is still very low… There are cases of prostate cancer, but in 2020, we had recorded 699 new cases. It’s the 4th cancer in terms of numbers here, after that of the liver, cervix and breast. So, it is still important its frequency although it is under notified, that is to say it is not all the cases which are recorded at the level of the hospital service ”.
What about the consequences of prostate cancer? “You should know that this disease has several consequences. Both on the socio-psychological level, because a cancer all the same, it affects the person in his emotions. There are emotional disturbances that may interest the person, there are also physical pains that are present, there is also the embarrassment that it could cause for a person to walk around with a probe regularly, or even than the economic impact of this disease. Because to treat cancer you need a lot of resources,” he explains.
To avoid prostate cancer, Dr Mamadou Bobo Souaré advises: “You have to have a healthy lifestyle, you should generally use the 0-5-30 rule: that is to say 0 alcohol, do not consume of alcohol at all, and then if it is also possible, regularly consume at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day; next to that, do a regular activity of 30 minutes of physical exercise and especially avoid eating too fatty, too salty and too sweet.
What to do for the treatment of prostate cancer? “First, before treating, you have to make the diagnosis. The diagnosis is generally made through a physical examination, it is the rectal examination which appreciates the clinical state of the prostate, then it is necessary to do other biological examinations to determine the PSA level and also to do biopsies to confirm the Prostate cancer. In terms of treatment, there is a whole panoply of prostate treatments, it depends on the stage. There is surgery which is possible at the early stage, there is also radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy which has come into play in the treatment of prostate cancer,” he said.
When asked why young people are less affected, our interlocutor answers and gives advice: “It can be explained by the fact that the prostate, during the normal life of an individual, gradually increases in volume. At the beginning, it is the size of a ping-pong ball, around the age of 60-70 it is the size of a tennis ball. So it’s these structural changes in the prostate that can lead to degeneration under the influence of the factors we mentioned earlier… The first thing I’m going to ask people around 60 is that is to say 50 years to beyond, it is first and foremost to be screened. It is important to know his status. This screening is not complicated, any doctor can do it, you have to do a digital rectal examination, a PSA level. And if the PSA level is high or the digital rectal examination is abnormal, you continue the investigations through the prostate biopsy. And also for everyone to carry out regular physical activity and to have a healthy life on the whole,” advised Dr. Bobo Souaré, from Donka’s cancer service.
Fatoumata Diouldé Diallo for Guineematin.com