Doctor appeals to men to test for prostate cancer

Tema, Oct 22, GNA - A medical officer has appealed to men aged 40 years and above to have medical examination annually to test for prostate cancer.

Dr Alfred Adjei of the Volta River Authority Hospital said men aged 40 and above were at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer. He said early detection enabled patients to be treated while late detection could spread the cancer beyond the prostrate gland. Dr Adjei said this on Thursday at a staff durbar to mark the 2010 Safety Awareness Week Celebration of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO).

The celebration was under the theme: "Emerging Risks and New Patterns of Prevention in the Power Sector." He said due to the location of the prostate in the body, men found it difficult to detect its abnormality until symptoms of the cancer started showing.

He said by the time patients started observing the symptoms, the cancer would have spread beyond the prostate gland. Dr Adjei appealed to women to encourage their husbands, fathers and other men to annually test for the cancer. Some symptoms of the cancer include frequent urination, slow urinary flow, painful urination, low back pain and inability to walk. Dr Adjei said even though the cause of prostate cancer was yet to be detected, being an African-American and aged 40 years and above were some risk factors.

Other risk factors include having a family history of the cancer, bad diet comprising fatty foods, smoking and alcoholism. Dr Adjei urged men to do more exercise, drink more water and eat more vegetables and fruits as a way of controlling the risk. Mr Charles Darku, the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCO, said the safety week celebration was relevant to the company's operations as GRIDCO was modernizing and expanding its transmission system infrastructure with new equipment.

Mr Darku said it was necessary that proper management of risks in the work environment was instituted and reviewed periodically to reduce the economic and social burden of work-related accidents and diseases to enhance productivity. "We have time and time again reminded ourselves that every work-related death, injury or illness is a preventable tragedy, and all work must aim at minimizing such risks from our daily operation", he indicated. 21 Oct 10