Cancer is a disease of the cells which are the building blocks of body organs and tissues.
Normally cells divide, grow and multiply in an orderly and controlled way as the body needs them to keep healthy.
When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.
“However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong,” Cancer Centre Knowledge Manager Tafadzwa Chigariro said.
“When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them.
“When these cells continue multiplying, the result is a mass of tissue or growth, also called a tumour.
“Thus prostate cancer is a cancerous tumour which occurs in the prostate.”
Chigariro explained that the prostate gland is a walnut-sized glandular structure which is part of the male reproductive system. It secretes a fluid that aids semen mobility.
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“Prostate cancer usually affects men aged 50 years and over,” Chigariro explained.“It is rare in men under 50 but not unheard of.
“It is unclear what causes prostate cancer but it is thought that people who have diets high in animal fats and milk products may have a higher risk of prostate cancer than those with diets which are high in green vegetables which may be protective.”
Health experts said prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms in its early stages but when they do occur they may include difficulty in urinating, delays in urinating (whereby nothing comes out for a while even when heavily pressed), stopping and starting urinating (whereby urine suddenly stops coming out even when one is still pressed only to restart after a moment), a weak stream of urine, urinating more often than usual, blood in urine, and pain and stiffness in the lower back and hips.
The late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and prominent liberation war hero Edgar Tekere who died recently suffered from prostate cancer.
According to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry’s 2006 figures, prostate cancer is the second leading cancer among males, contributing 13,1 % to the cancer burden after the Kaposi Sarcoma type of cancer which is common in a suppressed immune system.
Kaposi Sarcoma accounted for 23,8 % of the cancer burden in 2006.
What can be done to guard against prostate cancer?
Experts explained that there are various treatment procedures available locally for prostate cancer patients, the common being surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Surgery involves the removal of the affected prostate or the affected part of it while radiotherapy involves the use of low energy rays to destroy cancerous cells and chemotherapy is the use of a combination of drugs to destroy cancerous cells.
These treatments are usually used in combination to enhance effectiveness.
But the good news maybe was that preventive measures can be taken against prostate cancer and these include annual screening which is encouraged especially to men aged 40 years and above.
Available screening methods include Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) and Prostate Specific Antigen Tests (PSA) which are tests done by medical practitioners to check for signs of the development of cancer.
This type of cancer is most common because of the high HIV prevalence as the virus suppresses the immune system.
