Background and context: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy among men in Nigeria. Despite the high prevalence, there seems to be poor awareness on PCa and PCa screening among Nigerian men. Deficient knowledge and ignorance on PCa may account for late presentation with resultant worse outcomes in Nigerian men. Aim: To assess the knowledge and attitude of a cohort of Nigerian men toward PCa and PCa screening. Strategy/Tactics: A prospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted on cohorts of men in the Ile-Ife community of southwestern Nigeria between August 2016 and February 2017. Men across all spheres were targeted (university lecturers, artisans, religious leaders, etc.) to have representative data from men in the community. Semistructured questionnaires were used to gather information on their knowledge about PCa, as well as their attitude toward PCa screening. Health talks on PCa were given to all the respondents immediately after filling the questionnaires. Analysis of completed questionnaires was done using SPSS version 20. Program/Policy process: Prostate Cancer Screening Advocacy Program in Nigeria. Outcomes: Four hundred and fifty (450) men above 40 years of age were administered the questionnaires, out of which 428 (95.1%) questionnaires were analyzed. The mean age of the respondents was 58.5 ± SD 9.3 years. One hundred and eighteen (27.6%) of them were either university lecturers or men with tertiary education while 310 (72.4%) had lower level of education. Among the lecturers, 86 (72.9%) showed good awareness of PCa while only 26 (8.5%) men among the less educated group were as aware of PCa. Only 57 (13%) men older than 50 years had presented to the hospital for prostate specific antigen (PSA) check. Three hundred and seventy men (86.5%) were oblivious to the role of PSA in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and were unwilling to have routine digital rectal examination (DRE). Respondents with superior knowledge of prostate cancer stated that they were more likely to routinely go for prostate cancer screening. What was learned: There is still limited knowledge of PCa and poor attitude toward PCa screening among men in our community. Health education is therefore critical as this may encourage early detection and possibly decrease disease-related mortality.
Prostate Cancer and Prostate Cancer Screening: Knowledge and Attitude Among a Semiurban Population of Nigerian Men
