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00:17It's a health issue that many men prefer not to speak about, but one that deserves greater attention.
00:23Prostate cancer can develop quietly, with some men unaware they have the disease until it has progressed.
00:30Dr. Vimal Tita Hall, urologist at Valley Medical and St. Augustine Private Hospital, explains just how common the disease is.
00:39It's thought that one in every eight men is going to have prostate cancer by the time we reach an
00:47elderly age.
00:47And it's actually thought that one in every four men, by the time we die, we're going to have prostate
00:54cancer at some degree.
00:56The issue with prostate cancer is that we would like early detection of prostate cancer before it becomes symptomatic.
01:03Beyond getting older, a man's family history can also offer important clues about his risk.
01:09Lifestyle is another consideration, with diet and weight management among the factors highlighted by Dr. Sita Hall.
01:15He says men with a family history of prostate cancer should be vigilant.
01:20Major risk factors are advanced age. As we get older, our risk does increase.
01:25A family history of prostate cancer does increase our risk by about four times that of a normal risk individual,
01:31as well as things that we do to ourselves and environmental factors.
01:36But screening does not have to be intimidating.
01:38One of the main tools used to assess prostate cancer risk is the PSA blood test, which measures prostate-specific
01:46antigen in the blood.
01:47An elevated result does not necessarily mean cancer is present, but it can alert doctors that further assessment may be
01:55needed.
01:55Dr. Sita Hall says men should also understand that screening recommendations differ depending on their individual risk.
02:02Typically, men of African descent should start screening at 40 years old.
02:07Men of non-African with no other risk factor should start screening at 50 years old.
02:14And for men who may be putting off screening because they have fear of a physical examination, there is some
02:20reassurance.
02:21Dr. Sita Hall says the PSA blood test is the primary screening tool and that a routine rectal examination is
02:28no longer required.
02:29He explains that if the blood test raises concerns, doctors can recommend additional investigations to determine whether cancer is present.
02:38So rectal exams across the world for screening for prostate cancer is no longer an option.
02:44You do not need to do a rectal exam.
02:46The blood test is quite enough to tell us your risk of having prostate cancer.
02:52And once the blood test comes back as high, there will be further investigations.
02:57For men who are diagnosed, the treatment will depend largely on the stage of the disease.
03:02Options may include active surveillance where the cancer is monitored closely, as well as surgery and radiation therapy.
03:09The treatment options would be dependent on how far your cancer is spread.
03:15If your cancer is actually confined to your prostate, then you have no real risk of erectile dysfunction to any
03:21large degree.
03:22And that's what our Caribbean men share away from.
03:27Now, treatment and 50% of the time we can do surveillance.
03:30That's why we watch your cancer and make sure it's not spreading, it's not getting worse.
03:3550% of the men will fall into that cohort.
03:38The next 50% can either do radiation surgery to remove their prostate or radiation seeds put in their prostate.
03:45And they are, for the most part, cured of their prostate cancer.
03:49I am Charlotte Kisto with tonight's Health Watch.
