Prostate cancer: Scientist recommends yearly screening for men above 40

A laboratory scientist, Mr Adeniyi Fagbamiyi, has advised men above 40 years on Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test at least once annually to know the level of antigen in their bodies.

Fagbamiyi, who works with the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB), gave the advice in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday in Lagos.

He defined PSA test as a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer; the test measures the amount of PSA in the blood.

According to him, the PSA test is very necessary because it helps in early detection of the level at which a man is predisposed to the risk of developing prostate cancer.

He added that early detection was key to the management of the disease.

Fagbamiyi, who described prostate cancer as a silent killer, said the cancer don’t easily show any sign in the body until after causing damage in the cell.

He described PSA level/result of between 0 and four nanogram as normal, noting that any result above four nanogram was abnormal and requires further advanced test.

“The PSA test is the leading method of screening for prostate cancer. PSA screening can help catch the disease at an early stage when treatment may be more effective and potentially have fewer side effects.

“The test is very important for men to go for it at least once a year in order to know the level of prostate in body.

“This is because prostate cancer is a rapid problem in the world now, especially in this part of the world that has fast growth of this kind of disease (prostate cancer) that men do have.

“It is a silent killer that does not easily show any sign/symptom until when it has already caused damage in the cell.

“The normal average figure of PSA test is between 0 and four nanogram and anything above that four nanogram is abnormal and will require further advanced test,’’ he said.

According to him, a higher PSA result means that there is a greater chance that one has prostate cancer.

He, therefore, encouraged men to go for the test as it was imperative for early detection.

Fagbamiyi said age was a major risk factor for prostate cancer.

“The older a man, the higher his chances of developing prostate cancer,” he said.

According to him, every man has prostate in the body but men above 40 years are at greater risk of having prostate cancer.

On the causes of prostate cancer, Fagbamiyi said the exact cause of the disease was yet to be established by scientists.

He, however, said environmental and genetic factors could be linked to the rise in prostate cancer.

Fagbamiyi identified high sugar level, excessive consumption of carbohydrates and low intake of fiber foods with fewer vegetables as major contributing factors.

“Every man has prostate in the body, but there is a tendency for those above 40 years to have abnormal cells developing because of the rapid growth of cells within that age range.

“Presently, the exact causes of prostate cancer have not been scientifically established but there are some traces to it.

“One of them is because of what we consume; most of the things we consume in this part of the world are usually carbohydrates that contain sugar; and these sugars accumulate together to form tumor in the body.

“When there is too much of carbohydrates in the body system and the person is not eating balanced diet, there is possibility of such person to have abnormal cells producing.

“If those abnormal cells now produce more, they come together to form tumor – cancer,” he said.