Fuad: Rowley an advocate for prostate cancer testing

“Dr Rowley has now become an advocate for prostate cancer,” Khan told Newsday yesterday hours after Rowley revealed details of his health scare which had some calling for full disclosure of his medical condition while others offered prayer.

“I think persons will listen to him because it is a prime minister talking like that.” On Thursday at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing at his St Clair, Port of Spain office, Rowley revealed that he had sought further medical treatment following an initial Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test for prostate cancer that was done by his local doctors but required further intervention by his doctors in California.

Those tests were conducted last week while abroad on vacation.

Prostate cancer has been defined as a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. It lies just below the bladder (the organ that collects and empties urine) and in front of the rectum (the lower part of the intestine).

Khan debunked, what he says continues to be a myth, that prostate cancer is more prevalent among African males than any other race.

He said, “It is not prevalent in the African population, it is just that the African population tend to go for diagnosis more than any other race.

It was found that the African population in the United States tend to go at a later stage as Dr Rowley rightly said.

They don’t like to be examined in that area.” Khan said Afro Trini males are now being pushed by their wives and children to have the tests done and he is now seeing an increase over the last couple years.

Eight years ago it was not so, as he noted that prostate cancer in East Indians and Chinese worldwide has decreased within recent years. He was not sure if it had anything to do with diet or genetics.

Saying that diets and genetics has not shown to curb the onset of prostate cancer “in any significant way”, Khan said that doesn’t mean that one must not look at their diet.

“What has been shown,” he added, “ is that if your father, grandfather or siblings have prostate cancer, there’s almost an 11 percent chance of you getting it also.” Screening, he told Newsday is very important to allow early detection.