Dr Evariscus Azoma, a consultant urologist with the Chivar Clinic and Urology Centre in Abuja, has advised men to go for regular prostate cancer screening to ensure early detection.

Azoma gave this advise on Friday in Abuja. According to him, early detection of cancer would prevent the disease from spreading and becoming complicated for treatment.

He disclosed that most men were at risk of prostate cancer, while admitting that there were specific risk factors that could trigger the disease which include family history, age and diet, among others.

He recommended that men who are above 45 years should endeavour to go for prostate cancer screening annually.

“There is a rising incidence of cancer globally, with developing countries such as Nigeria bearing much of the burden.

“Prostate cancer starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man’s reproductive system.

“Some of the symptoms include the need to urinate often, especially at night, an intense and urgent need to urinate, as well as difficulty in starting or stopping the urine flow.

“Other symptoms are the inability to urinate, weak or decreased or interrupted urine stream, a sense of incompletely emptying the bladder, burning pain during urination, blood in the urine or semen, and painful ejaculation,’’ Azoma said.

He however advised that the risk of having prostate cancer could be reduced by making healthy choices such as exercising and eating healthy diet such  low-fat diet and eating more fat from plants than from animals.

The urologist also advised that fruits and vegetables should be taken each day, while consumption of dairy products should be reduced.

It will be recalled that the National Foundation for Cancer Research recently estimated that 241,740 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2012 alone.(NAN)