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PROSTATE CANCER: The facts, the finance and the future

Published: January 31, 2022

PPS urges men to get informed, get screened, and get covered to protect themselves from the most common cancer in men. 

Approximately one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime1. This statistic increases to one in six for black African men2. About 60% of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men who are 65 or older1, although globally there has been an increase in early-onset prostate cancer in men between 15 and 40 years old3.

In South Africa, prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men and is five times more common than colon cancer, the next most common cancer affecting our male population4. Furthermore, both locally and globally, the number of men being diagnosed with late-stage cancer is on the rise5.

For many men, the diagnosis of a critical illness such as cancer can be devastating, both emotionally and financially. Given the prevalence of this disease, financial services company, Professional Provident Society (PPS) urges all men to know the facts and to get screened.

The global campaign, “Movember”, focused on men’s health issues including prostate cancer, creates a much-welcomed opportunity to raise awareness once again about this very treatable disease. However, it is important to be attentive to your body the whole year round.

Dr Anwar Bulbulia, Senior Medical Officer at PPS, unpacks the latest developments when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, as well as the importance of having the right financial support.

When detected early, the chance of five-year survival after a prostate cancer diagnosis is nearly 100%6. There are usually no symptoms from prostate cancer in the early stage, which is the only stage that prostate cancer can be curable5.

If the cancer is left unchecked and spreads outside of the prostate, the chance of five-year survival drops to 29%6. This can happen to men who are not going for regular screening5.

“The good news is that advances in how prostate cancer is treated, and the availability of promising new therapies and treatment regimens, has given hope to millions of men around the world who are diagnosed annually with this type of cancer,” says Bulbulia. “This includes the development of artificial intelligence (AI), genomics and robotic surgery, which has significantly improved the management of cancer, including the availability of much less invasive surgeries when needed”.

The newer therapeutics, such as targeted immunotherapy also hold enormous promise for patients with prostate cancer7, including two recent approvals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPA) which have opened a new avenue of treatment.

“As a provider of intelligent financial solutions to graduate professionals, PPS has optimised its Critical Illness cover with enhanced benefits, including the coverage of diseases detected at an early stage such as pre-stage 1 cancer. This provides additional protection for members by providing benefits that members can use to pay for shortfalls in medical treatments,” says Motshabi Nomvethe, Head of Technical Marketing at PPS.

While immunotherapy is being heralded as a whole new era for cancer treatment,8 it comes at an enormous cost, which makes having adequate critical illness benefits so important. With these new advances in mind, PPS has now created a rider benefit to assist members to access them, making them the first insurer in South Africa to launch insurance cover for this targeted treatment.

“Medical technology has played a meaningful role in early detection and treatment of dread diseases. At PPS, we believe in following the mutuality principle by maximising our offering to our members with the Critical Illness Cover and considering that when we introduce enhanced benefits, these meet our members’ needs,” says Nomvethe.

When it comes to screening, a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test is all that is initially needed. This is a simple blood test that gives an indication of whether something is wrong with the prostate or not.

Black African men and men who have a family history of prostate and/or breast cancer in a first degree relative, need to go for an annual screening from the age of 40. All other men can start their annual prostate screening from the age of 455.

While many people hold onto the idea that a disease like cancer will never happen to them, statistics prove otherwise. “A serious health problem such as prostate cancer can bring about a major disruption to all aspects of a person’s life. Surviving a critical illness can have a much larger financial impact, which is what makes investing in your health with the correct policies, all the more important,” concludes Nomvethe.

For more information, and to find a healthcare professional involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer in South Africa, go to https://prostate-ca.co.za/ or https://cansa.org.za/.

 

Ends

About PPS

PPS boasts in excess of 150 000 members who enjoy access to a comprehensive suite of financial and healthcare products that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of graduate professionals.

PPS is the largest South African company of its kind, exclusively for graduate professionals, that still embraces an ethos of mutuality, which means that it exists solely for the benefit of its members.

Thus, PPS members with qualifying products from PPS Insurance, PPS Investments and Profmed share in the profits of PPS Insurance, PPS Investments and PPS Healthcare Administrators via annual allocations to the unique PPS Profit-Share Account. PPS membership provides access to the following tried, tested and trusted products and services: PPS Life Insurance, PPS Short-Term Insurance, PPS Financial Advisory, PPS Investments and Profmed Medical Scheme. Visit www.pps.co.za for more information. PPS is an authorised FSP.

References:

  1. Key statistics for prostate cancer (2021) - https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
  2. Prostate Cancer Foundation (2021) - https://www.pcf.org/c/rewriting-the-story-for-black-men-part-1/
  3. Prostate Cancer in Younger Men (2021) - https://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/prostate-cancer-in-younger-men
  4. Men & Cancer (2021) - https://cansa.org.za/mens-health/
  5. Prostate cancer screening: Information provided by The Prostate Cancer Foundation (available on request)
  6. Early detection saves lives - https://support.zerocancer.org/site/SPageNavigator/AdvocacyCenter/EarlyDetectionSavesLive
  7. LANCET Prostate cancer. Shahneen Sandhu, MD. Prof Caroline M Moore, MD. Edmund Chiong, MBBS. Himesh Beltran, MD. Prof Robert G Bristow, MD.Prof Scott G Williams, MD (available on request)
  8. Immunotherapy heralds 'new era' for cancer treatment (2015) -https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/294737#Nivolumab-plus-ipilimumab-reduced-tumor-size-by-at-least-a-third-for-almost-1-year

 

 

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