What is the prostate?
The prostate is a small gland/organ/tissue at the base of the penis. It surrounds the urethra. The urethra is the thing we pass urine through whether male or female. However, only men have a prostate gland. The prostate secretes juices that nourishes the sperm and make them swim easier in the urethra.
What are the problems related to the prostate?
Crucially, the prostate can enlarge as we get older and cause difficulty in passing urine. Some people wake up at night up to 5/6 times to urinate. This disturbs their sleep and make them miserable in the morning. However, the prostate can also cause some people to be unable to pass urine at all which is terribly painful and can kill. The prostate can also get infection with pain and discharge through the urethra.
However, the one thing that is bad about the prostate and the reason for our discussion today is PROSTATE CANCER.
PROSTATE Gland
Prostate gland can develop cancer like any other organ in the body. Cancer of the prostate can be detected and treated IF caught early. This awareness program is to talk about the early detection and treatment for prostate cancer. Let us be sure, I am not a urologist or a specialist in prostate cancer. So, I am not talking about the actual management of prostate cancer.
I am lending my voice to the calls for more awareness about prostate cancer. Both as a man and as a neurosurgeon who treats men with bad cancer. Cancer of the prostate can travel to the bones and cause paralysis. So, few of such patients come to me for treatment. Unfortunately, by the time it gets to the bones of the spine, it means the cancer is already out of control.
What can we do?
The most important job we have today is to create awareness.
How do we do that?
Our readers now know that there is something called the prostate and it is only in men. The prostate can cause cancer. The cancer can be detected early by simple blood tests. Everyman should have the blood tests done regularly from the age of 40 year.
What is the advocacy?
MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, FRIENDS, AND RELATIVES should ask the men in their lives one simple question, HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR PROSTATE? This is the most important question that we think can save lives by leading to the early detection of prostate cancer.
Just ask the significant man in your life. Whether it be your husband, boyfriend, friend, acquaintance, or male relative if they know about prostate cancer and have, they done the blood test. This is simple. Please ask today.
Dr Biodun Ogungbo is a UK General Medical Council Registered Specialist in Neurosurgery and Nigeria Medical and Dental Council registered Surgeon. He has extensive surgical repertoire in elective and emergency neurosurgery procedures.
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