DEATHS from prostate cancer among Barbadian men are twice the rate of women’s from breast cancer, and more men are urged to get checks because it is curable when detected early.
That is the advice of a leading cancer prevention and treatment advocate in Barbados, Dr Dorothy Cooke-Johnson, who said there aremajor threats to both Barbadian men and women, and men need to be vigilant as their numbers are high.
“There are usually a hundred ormore men who die yearly from prostate cancer. So prostate cancer is something that really has to be tackled,” she told the WEEKEND NATION yesterdayat the Courtesy Garage showroom where the car dealership handed over a Hyundai Accent as the main prize in the Barbados Cancer Society’s Annual Fundraising Raffle, the organization’s main source of fundsfor cancer support services.
Deaths of women from breast cancer annually are equally alarming, and Cooke-Johnson said there is an emphasis on women having their mammary glands checked.
She said men, who are also susceptible to breast cancer, canperform self-examinations in thebath by rubbing the flat palm oftheir soapy hands on the chest tofeel for lumps. (GA)
