A simple blood test is enough for men to get tested for prostate cancer. Experts in the UAE are calling on residents to get themselves tested regularly to catch the “silent cancer” before it is too late.
“Many hospitals in the UAE give a free PSA blood test especially during November, when men’s health is in the focus,” said Dr Deepak Janardhanan, consultant urologist at Fakeeh University Hospital (FUH). “The result comes in just a few hours time and it gives us an indirect evidence whether a person is prone to have prostate cancer or not.”
His comments came a day after former US President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. He added that it was hard to diagnose the disease during its initial stages. “Most of the time, prostate cancer is silent unless and until it starts spreading to the bones,” he said.
Globally, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer but in the UAE, it is slightly less common because of a lesser number of ageing population. “Prostate cancer is seen commonly in people above 60 years old,” added Dr Deepak.
Dr Mohamad Azzam Ziade, Consultant in Medical Oncology at Medcare Royal Hospital, Qusais, explained why early detection was important. “It allows for less aggressive treatments or active surveillance in low-risk cases, sparing men from painful side effects,” he said. “Early-stage prostate cancer has a 98 to 99 per cent five-year survival rate when treated promptly.”
Regular checkups
Dr Deepak highlighted that he advised men over the age of 45 to get a blood test done once every year. “It's a very slow growing cancer,” he said. “It takes a few years for the prostate cancer to spread to the bone so you have enough time to diagnose it early. That's why we say testing once a year is good enough.”
It has often been highlighted in medical literature how men delay getting health checkups due to lack of awareness and social stigma.
Some doctors have explained how this could be harmful. “The problem is more serious specially with prostate cancer because it has no symptoms in its early stage,” said Dr Michel Jabbour, Consultant Urologist at Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital. “Men commonly say I don’t feel anything; why should I go and visit a doctor, which, to say the least, is dangerous.”
Symptoms and treatment
Even though it may not have any symptoms, Dr Mohamad said there could be some warning signs. “As the disease progresses, men may experience difficulty starting or stopping urination, weak or interrupted urine flow, frequent urination, especially at night, pain or burning during urination and inability to completely empty the bladder,” he said.
Dr Deepak said that because the cancer first spreads to the bones, many patients experience back pains and frequent bone fractures. He said if the blood test indicated an issue, further investigation was done. “The next step is to do a biopsy from the prostate,” he said. “We do an MRI scan and then come to a diagnosis.”
He added that the biggest challenge doctors faced was spreading awareness about the importance of regular checkups. “People are not aware about the blood test for prostate so that's why we keep on telling them,” he said. “We conduct campaigns such as Movember where hospitals turn blue to put the spotlight on prostate cancer," he added.