On Saturday, February 9, 220 males turned up to be screened, in Virgin Gorda at the Catholic Community Centre, for prostate cancer - making this year’s screening process the highest since the programme’s inception nine years ago.

Overall 1,110 men were screened during a three-day process. Screenings were held on Tortola on February 1 and 2 in which 880 individuals were screened.    Fiona Dugdale, Chairman for the Screening and Vice President of the BVI Red Cross was elated when she spoke with this newspaper. “This was something we wanted, men to take prostate cancer very seriously and this figure shows that.”  

Prostate cancer occurs in the male reproductive system when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. These cells may spread from the prostate to other parts of the body, especially the bones and lymph nodes.

Symptoms

If the cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms.  Some men, however, will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of the cancer, including: a need to urinate frequently, especially at night; difficulty starting urination or holding back urine; weak or interrupted flow of urine; painful or burning urination; difficulty in having an erection; painful ejaculation; blood in urine or semen; or frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.

Because these symptoms can also indicate the presence of other diseases or disorders, men who experience any of these symptoms will undergo a thorough examination to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms.

According to Dr. John Franklin, one of the doctors that conducted the screening – prostate cancer is the number one cancer killer in the Caribbean .

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