Movember: Spotlight on men’s health
Movember: Spotlight on men’s health
For Men’s Health Month, Dr Doraid Alrifai talks about the importance of early diagnosis…
What do you think are the main issues surrounding men’s health at the moment?
Men are often recognised for presenting late to healthcare services. Later diagnoses of diseases such as cancer can make it more challenging to manage. This can have a detrimental effect on treatment and prognosis. The fear of a diagnosis can ultimately sabotage curative treatment options if diagnosed late.
What would be your key messages for men during Men’s Health Month?
Early diagnosis is key! Although we are pleased to see numerous developments in the care of patients with advanced cancer, this is all trumped by an early diagnosis where cancer can be treated with curative treatments (such as surgery or radiotherapy) rather than waiting until the cancer has become more advanced. Having open and honest conversations about men’s health can provide a platform for seeking out more information and help.
How common is prostate cancer?
CRUK, one of our biggest cancer charities, report over 50,000 cases were diagnosed between 2017-2019 in the UK. Almost 80% of diagnosed cases live 10 years or more. Given this is a disease of older men, these statistics are encouraging. Other statistics show the rate per 100,000 people has increased by 50% over a 20-year period from approximately 100 per 100000 to 150 per 100000 in 2021.
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What are the common symptoms?
Patient presentation can vary from asymptomatic (having no symptoms) to lower urinary tract symptoms. The former is often diagnosed at individual screening appointments, although there remains a debate as to whether this offers a clinically meaningful outcome. Symptoms to look out for are urinary frequency (especially at night), urgency, poor stream, dribbling, feeling of wanting to pass urine again after just passing urine, and blood in the urine. Other more generalised symptoms may include weight loss, poor appetite, fatigue, and bone pain.
What are some of the big developments in terms of treatment now?
Treatment for prostate cancer can vary from local treatment to the prostate such as surgery or radiotherapy, to chemotherapy, novel anti-androgens and radio-ligand treatment such as Lutetium-177 for more advanced cases.
Some of the recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment includes testing for a genetic predisposition to prostate cancer through next generation sequencing of the cancer, along with subsequent tests to work out whether it is inherited or not.
What are some of the misconceptions around prostate cancer?
Some people believe when they develop prostate cancer this can be life altering, however, many men end up dying with prostate cancer rather than of it. The disease can behave indolently, meaning many patients can live a good quality of life for years before encountering problems.
Some people believe screening tests don’t work. I would urge anyone who has a concern regarding prostate cancer, whether they have symptoms, asymptomatic, strong family history of other cancers like breast and ovarian cancer or a high-risk ethnicity to reach out and have a discussion about testing.
Dr Doraid Alrifai is a Consultant Medical Oncologist in Thoracic and Urological Cancers and Director at the International Cancer Care Network (ICCN)
~Make Movember Count~
For the month of November, men are growing moustaches to show their support of men’s health awareness.
There are five key messages…
- Check in: Spend time with friends. Being sociable is good for you.
- Open up the conversation: Being there for someone and really listening is so important.
- Check ‘em: Make sure to check for any testicular changes.
- Know your risk: Talk to your doctor about your risk of prostate cancer.
- Get active: If you’re not already taking regular exercise, look at ways to move more.
