A Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), Barrister Tokunbo Richard Omage’s Foundation (BATRO), on Friday said that prostate cancer had become a major plague for men.
The Chairperson of the NGO, Praise-EI Omage, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that to help address the grim situation, BATRO had so far screened 30 men for the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in Lagos in 2021. She said that the programme was in partnership with the laboratory of the Ancilla Catholic Hospital and Fortress Hospital.
“The free test is carried out for men in order to determine how healthy their prostrate is or whether there’s any evidence of cancer present. We prepared for 50 men, but 30 men were present at the outreach. Out of the men screened, six of them have highly elevated range of PSA; that is a whole 23 per cent”
“A normal range is between two to less than four. Some of them had as high as over 45. We have referred the six men to a urologist for further investigation. If any has cancer, they will be referred to an Oncologists for treatment”
“All these processes are very herculean in our health system. So, the men may not want to go further after this our test, but we are doing a follow- Up with them to ensure they go for further investigation and treatment in the hospital,” Omage said.
She said that funding was a challenge to screening and management of prostate cancer.
“I have to keep appealing to people to donate into the account of the NGO. We aim at preventing cancer, by disseminating knowledge about cancer, screening for cancer, particularly prostate cancer, thereby reducing death by cancer and build a cancer hospital”
“Also to help put food on the table of less privileged. The organisation gives scholarships to children who lost any of their parents from cancer. BATRO organises a yearly prostate cancer screening for men.”
While advising men is to take good care of their health, she said that general basic test of their body system at least once a year from reputable medical laboratory is important
“They should know that their death is very costly to their wives, children, family and the society at large. They should do general basic test of their body system at least once a year from reputable medical laboratory”
“When there is a free test like this, they should not hesitate to take it. Most refused the test because they are afraid of the unknown. It is better to always know; early detection can allow for cure and prevent death” she said.