Men should go for prostrate cancer screening at least once in a year to know their statues. Early dictation should help in treatment of prostate cancer; once a man is up to 40years of age, he stands the chance to have prostrate cancer.
These were the words of medical laboratory scientist, Alabi Adebowale, during free prostrate cancer screening organized buy United Bank For Africa (UBA) as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) held in Lagos.
The screening also featured physical exercises among staff member of UBA where they performed roadside jogging from National Stadium Surulere, Lagos, down to Ojuelegba back to the stadium again.
Adebowale said: “Prostrate cancer in the curable stages is not symptomatic. Men who have reached the age of 40 should begin testing for prostrate cancer. Prostrate cancer can be dictated when it is asymptomatic through screening exercise. This measures the level of prostrate specific antigen in the blood. Prostrate gland cells manufacture this antigen where they are normal or cancerous”.
However, Adebowale said that men should eat enough fresh or cooked tomatoes in order to reduce the chance of having prostrate cancer infection because of the lycopene contained in tomato.
Adebowale said: “Lycopene rich foods such as fresh tomatoes and tomato products are potential effectors in the prevention and therapy of prostate cancer. This provides an overview on the efficacy of supplementation with tomatoes, tomato products and lycopene on appropriate surrogate endpoint biomarker such as metabolite of the insulin like growth factor pathway in healthy individuals and prostate cancer patients. Consumption of a diet rich in lycopene containing foods reduces the aggressive potential of prostate cancer by inhibiting the neoangiogenesis that occurs in tumor development. Higher lycopene intake is associated with lower angiogenic potential in tumors based on vessel size and shape”, he said.
Managing Director (MD)/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), UBA Foundation, Ijeoma Aso, said that UBA Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa Plc. As part of its community intervention initiatives, she noted that the foundation is championing the fight against prostrate cancer.
Aso said: “We discovered that men do not go to hospitals for screening, so decided to organize free prostrate cancer screening in order to give back to the society where we operate. We do it every year we started in 2011 and this year we made it mandatory for all our staff members to come and exercise”.
“The screening is going on right now in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt simultaneously, we hope to get across to at least 2500 people within four days. We cannot do away from screening because prevention is better than cure so, men should go for screening for prevention. If any one tested positive we would take the person to hospital for surgery and treatment”.
Aso, however, disclosed that the foundation also gave out incubator machines to some teaching hospitals in Nigeria.
She continued: “When we discovered that Nigeria has high rate of mutuality we decided to give out 20 incubator machines to 20 teaching hospitals in Nigeria such as University of Lagos (UNILAG), Zaria, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Enugu among other.”
One of the beneficiaries Oluwatayo Daiti, congratulated UBA Foundation for their efforts in infighting prostrate cancer. He said that the screening has given a lot of people opportunity to know their statues and to have prostrate cancer counseling.
Daiti said: “I have been screened but tested negative I thank God for this opportunity. I want to say thank you to UBA for their efforts. I would advise other men who are up to 40 years of age to try and screen for their own benefit.”
UBA Group is committed to the principles and best practices of corporate social responsibility and prides itself as being a model corporate citizen in every country in which it has its footprints.
UBA Group pursues its corporate social responsibility goals through UBA Foundation. UBA Foundation plays this role by contributing actively to following strategic areas that are of immense importance to community development, namely: Education, Environment, and Economic Empowerment. The annual prostate cancer awareness programme is part of UBA Foundation’s community intervention schemes
