Cansa looks at the five cancers affecting men in SA
Prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, Kaposi sarcoma and bladder cancer are the types of cancer which mostly affect men is SA.
The Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) talks about other forms of cancer which affect men.
Colorectal cancer
It is estimated that one in 79 SA men will develop colorectal cancer.
Symptoms include change in bowel habits, a feeling that the bowel doesn’t empty completely, rectal bleeding, stomach pain, weakness and unexplained weight loss.
Treatment depends on how far the cancer has advanced and may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of these therapies.
Prognosis depends on how far the cancer has advanced.
Go for regular colon screening tests such as a colonoscopy or a sigmoidoscopy from the age of 50.
Some Cansa Care Centres countrywide offer faecal occult blood tests (sample of stool collected on end of an applicator to help detect small quantities of blood).
Lung cancer
It is estimated that one in 80 SA men will develop lung cancer.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, chest pains, noisy breathing and feeling very tired all the time.
Treatment depends on the type of cancer, its location and how advanced it is. Options involve surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or a combination.
Prognosis depends on whether the cancer has spread. For cancers that have not spread, the five-year survival rate is about 50 per cent.
Screening involves examining of the lungs with a fibre optic telescope.
If you are older than 50 and have a history of smoking or have Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease (COPD).
Kaposi sarcoma
It is estimated that one in 320 SA men will develop Kaposi sarcoma (KS).
KS is a cancer that causes patches of abnormal tissue to grow under the skin, in the lining of the mouth, nose and throat or in other organs.
Symptoms include skin lesions (pink to brown, brown-red or reddish purple); raised or slightly raised bump (nodule) or a flat area on the skin; swelling in the arms, legs and elsewhere due to KS which causes damage to lymph vessels; lung, stomach and bowel problems and anaemia as the lesions occasionally bleed slowly.
For screenings you need to be sure that a lesion is caused by KS. The doctor will do a biopsy to take a small sample of tissue from the lesion and send it to a laboratory to be analysed.
Treatment of Kaposi sarcoma can be difficult due to the immuno-suppressed state of many of the people who are affected.
The doctor will recommend treatment based on the patient’s general health, where the lesions are, how extensive they are and how many there are.
Bladder cancer
It is estimated that one in 152 SA men will develop bladder cancer.
Symptoms include blood in your urine, needing to urinate frequently and burning pain when urinating.
Tests may include cystoscopy, biopsy, laboratory and imaging tests.
Surgery is the most common treatment.
