Before we begin to write about the problem of prostate among Nigerian men, it is important to understand what prostate cancer is and why it is significantly more common among men.
Your prostate is a small, walnut-shaped organ. It’s below your bladder and in front of your rectum. Its primary functions are to create fluids in your semen and force semen through your urethra when you ejaculate. Your prostate will likely get larger as you age, which is normal.
Ejaculate is a whitish-gray fluid that releases from your penis when you orgasm. The fluid contains enzymes, zinc, and citric acid, which help nourish sperm cells and lubricate your urethra. The urethra is a tube through which ejaculate and pee flow out of your body during sex and urination respectively.
Your prostate’s muscles also help push semen into and through your urethra when you orgasm.
women don’t have a prostate. Women have Skene’s glands. However, some people refer to Skene’s glands as the female prostate gland.
The Skene’s glands are on either side of the urethra. Medical researchers believe these glands may secrete fluid that helps with urination (peeing) and cleanliness. They may also have a function for sexual intercourse, possibly providing the fluid for female ejaculation.
Why Do Men of Black descent suffer from Prostrate cancer more than other races?
There are clinical and statistical evidences that links the high occurrence of Prostate among men of African origin compared to same gender among other origin. In fact an increased incidence of prostate cancer among African-American men (now the second most common cause of cancer death) has been attributed mainly to the introduction of screening techniques, which have enabled earlier diagnosis of patients.
Researchers have linked the increased incidence to any of the following factors to Genetic make up of the black race.
Black and African American men are much more likely to develop prostate cancer. One in six Black men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime—compared to one in eight men overall. Black men are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with—and 2.1 times more likely to die from—prostate cancer than white men. Black men are also slightly more likely than white men to be diagnosed with advanced disease while there is no clear reason for these differences, several factors can impact cancer risk and outcomes in the Black and African American community.
According to Dr. Abdollah, “Studies have shown that prostate cancer in Black men has a different genetic profile—the mutations they have are different. It’s a more aggressive cancer and, at diagnosis, they present with a higher stage of cancer.”
Why there is an increase in prostate cancer in Nigeria
It was recently observed that there has been a sudden increase in the reported cases of Prostate cancer among Nigerian men recently by the journal of the National Medical Association (NMA).
According to findings, Prostrate cancer was reported more in cities like Lagos, Abuja, Porthacourt, Enugu, Ilorin, Calabar and Benin while there was lower incidences of the disease in less urbanized centers in Nigeria.
There have also been reported incidences of PC among men less than 40 years which is a deviation from the standard incidences for men. formerly, Prostate cancer usually sets in for men above the age of 40 because as men grow, the prostate enlarges with age. This enlargement is strategic to its activity for ejaculation after the age of puberty is attained while watering the semen. however, the natural enlargement of the prostate can become an overgrowth with age thus leading to cancer of the Prostate.
As pointed out, the main function of the prostate gland is to enjoy and contribute additional fluids to the semen during ejaculation. If this primary action is impeded and the growth continues without any proper functionality, cancer can develop and if untreated can lead to death of the sufferer.
The event of Prostrate cancer has been on the rise in the last 5 to 10 years in Nigeria which has many researching on the possible cause of this rising number among men in the country.
below is a list of possible causes of the current increase in the trend for Prostate cancer among men in Nigeria:
- Hereditary: This is the most commonly implicated cause of Prostate cancer among men. it is therefore necessary to mention it as a leading factor in Nigerian men
- Inadequate or No sexual activity: The lack of sex among men of sexual age has been associated to the rise in the recorded cases of postrate cancer in men. while this is not just about the lack of sex, the inactive prostate can keep growing and growing with no activity leading to cancer growth. This is why many sex experts advise married men to have sex at least 3 times a week to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
- Alcohol: this factor has not been effectively proven to be a leading cause, but studies have shown the increase in Prostate among men coinciding with the general increase in the consumption of alcohol in the country. The number of harmful alcohol users aged ≥15 years increased from 24 to 34 million from 1995 to 2015. The prevalence of current consumption of alcohol more in males is 75.7%. In the past 10 years the rate of alcohol consumption has increased across all regions of Nigeria . Data from a recent nation-wide study supported this trend in all regions of country. It is no coincidence that this increase in alcohol consumption especially the spirited beverages has had a damning effect on the increase in prostate cancer among men.
- Smoking: as with most cancer, smoking increases the risk of prostate cancer in Nigerian men. Nicotin has been implicated in the increase in growth of cancer among smokers. Nicotin is a major component of Cigarettes and other harmful substances.
