Forty per cent of men aged about 40 years are living with prostate cancer and many are unaware of their status, Head, Department of Surgery at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Ovunda Omudu, has said.
Omudu this on Thursday while delivering a lecture on cancer to officers and ratings of the Nigeria Navy Ship Pathfinder in Port Harcourt.
The qualified urologist said the disease had killed many due to several factors including poor awareness, knowledge, ignorance and manpower.
According to him, treatment for the disease is equally very expensive as it cost between N90,000 to N110,000 per injection administered to a patient every three months.
“Prostate cancer is one of the leading killer diseases in men in Nigeria and the second cause of cancer deaths in men worldwide.
“Here in Nigeria, we do not have a national budget designated for prostate cancer as obtainable in some western nations which meant that treatment lies solely on the sufferer.
“Due to exchange rate, a 10.8 milligram of prostate cancer injection goes for N90,000 to N110,000 which a patient takes once every three months.
“Similarly, 3.6 milligram of the same injection which is taken every month is sold for N45,000 combined with drug which cost N27,000 per dosage.
“So, you can imagine that every month a retiree or pensioner with prostate cancer will spend roughly N120,000 to treat the disease.
“So, it is very important that we do our best to prevent the disease and stop paying salary to prostate cancer via drugs and medication,” he said.
Omudu said that surgery to remove prostate cancer abroad cost about $10,000 (N4.85 million) while cost of travelling, hospital and hotel accommodation increase the figure to N7 million.
Omudu, however, said that a foundation based in the country has intervened by reducing cost for laser surgery to N600,000.
He said the disease could be prevented by eating consumables like red tomato, green tea, sea foods, such as periwinkles and snails, and regular exercise.
“Green tea contains anti-oxidant and anti-free radicals while the sea foods have magnesium, manganese, selenium and vitamin E and D which are nutrients for prevention of the disease,” he said.
