DAVAO CITY (PNA) – A group of doctors has conducted a symposium during the Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at the SM City Davao Entertainment Center here.

The group also conducted consultations among males as their way of letting them understand the importance of having an examination.

Davao Cancer Society president Dr. Helen Grace Te-Santos said prostate cases had turned out alarming because most of the male population did not submit themselves for check-up.

“This kind of attitude is still common among males. That is why they deemed it urgent to call on all the males for an early detection check-up,” Santos said.

She said that with the increasing number of cases on prostate cancer, it is a must among males with ages 45 and above to submit for an annual check-up as cases continue to increase because the male population does not want their selves examined for an early detection.

Prostate cancer is among the leading ailment in the Philippines, with lung cancer topping the list for overall cases followed by cancer of the breast, colon, liver, ovary and cervix.

“Our campaign will be continuing on cancer cases, and next month, we will delve on cases in the head and heart,” she said.

She said the examination of the prostate is the counterpart of the annual pap smear check-up among women and this had to be a regular yearly check-up.

Cancer of the prostate is the 6th most common for overall cancer cases but among males its 4th among males.

New cases, she said, in 2005 was at 4,254 and deaths at 2,571.

Citing the 2005 Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates, she said the median survival was 52 months.

About 43.14 percent of the cases survived in five years while 30.74 percent survived 10 years.
Prostate cancer cases have significantly increased and expected to continue as the disease begins to rise steeply beginning at 55 years old.

Proper education would correct misconception about the disease, she said.

She said for an early detection, a test to assay prostatic antigen (PSA) is accurate enough to be used to detect prostate cancer, either as a screening method in asymptomatic men or in symptomatic individuals.

“If positive, a diagnostic biopsy is performed and if PSA test is not available, biopsy or suspicious areas in the enlarged prostate, detected by rectal digital examination and/or transrectal ultrasound is done on symptomatic individuals.