Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Qatar, followed by colorectal cancer, according to information released by the Ministry of Public Health.
Statistics released by the ministry’s Qatar National Cancer Registry indicate that a total of 1,466 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2015, of which there were 1,417 malignant cases, with prostate cancer being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.
The prostate is a walnut-sized organ located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Prostate cancer develops when cells in the prostate gland grow in an uncontrolled way. The cancer usually develops slowly and when found and treated early, it is often curable.
Dr Al-Hareth M al-Khater, deputy medical director at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), said: “Improved therapies have resulted in a significant increase in the number of people who have survived cancer in general and prostate cancer in particular. The prostate cancer three-year survival rate from 2013 to 2015 was 81.8%. This is relatively high and reflects the high-quality diagnostic and treatment services provided to our patients at HMC.”
The symptoms of prostate cancer can vary, with some men having no symptoms and others experiencing warning signs such as difficulty urinating, frequent urination and blood in the urine or semen.
Dr al-Khater added: “A lot of work remains to be done to further increase survival rates and a valuable starting place is the collective understanding and active participation that comes with broader awareness of prostate cancer. The more we understand about the disease, the more likely and better equipped we are to come together and truly make a difference.”
Monitoring for prostate cancer is usually done with men being educated about the early urinary symptoms associated with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer can be suspected with a digital rectal exam to check if the prostate feels abnormal and also when a simple blood test for prostate-specific antigen is raised.
“To reduce and ultimately eliminate this disease, we are dedicated to finding better diagnostic and treatment options. In collaboration with our stakeholders in the healthcare sector in Qatar and abroad, HMC continues to invest in care that will further improve current approaches to combating prostate cancer,” Dr al-Khater concluded.