Prostate cancer awareness and screening among men in Eldoret, Kenya

Abstract

Abstract— Background: Prostate cancer remains one of the leading causes of male mortality despite advances in its treatment and prevention. The low level of awareness is thought to contribute to delayed diagnosis and hinders goal-directed interventions in prostate cancer prevention. Objectives: To determine the level of awareness and screening for prostate cancer among males in a peri-urban population. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study and cluster sampling was used to select a sample size of 385 men. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire which captured information on demographics, level of awareness and screening for prostate cancer. Setting: The study took place in Maili Nne, Eldoret Municipality in Uasin- Gishu County. Subjects: Men aged 40 years and above. Results: Out of the 385 men 112 (29.1%) were aware of prostate cancer. In response to any cancer they had heard of, 42.14% had heard of breast cancer while 23.5% and 10.7% had heard of cervical and prostate cancer respectively. Given a list of possible symptoms of prostate cancer, 67% could identify at least one symptom. The majority (56.43%) did not know any method of screening for prostate cancer, and among those who knew, the tests identified were a urine test, PSA/Blood Test, digital rectal examination and bone test by 17.4%, 12.86% and 10.71% and 2.9% respectively. Ten percent of the men had been screened for prostate cancer in the five years preceding the study. There was no significant association between prostate cancer awareness and screening behavior (OR 1.704, 95% CI 0.868 – 3.347). Men 40 – 50 years were less likely to have been screened. A belief that prostate cancer is curable; having heard of prostate cancer and knowing that prostate cancer affects men only were significantly associated with the probability of having undergone screening. Conclusion: Awareness of prostate cancer among men in Maili Nne is low, and screening remains unacceptably low. Public health interventions aimed at reducing prostate cancer mortality should aim at increasing awareness as well as behavior change to embrace screening.