A number of positive things happened in the lead-up to, during, and after the 12th T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) Gold Foundation Marathon Challenge last week. In fact, there were far more positives than negatives, things that matter and provide the impetus for planning next year’s 13th edition. But that is a discussion for another day.
In the Sunday Guardian, a story regarding the withdrawal of the national Under-21 team from the Pan Am Championship appeared to cast a negative light on the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) regarding the T&T Hockey Board’s financial inability to fund the team. A comprehensive discussion on this particular issue is best left for another time.
This week, I have committed to giving prostate cancer additional space and focus to share factual information. Since going public with my diagnosis and joining the call for men to get screened, I have received widespread messages of encouragement and support from around the world.
These messages highlight the vital importance of breaking the silence. I would like to share one such message from a prominent European sports leader, who wrote: “Dear Brian, this is such an important subject to speak openly about for those who can. I know not everyone will feel able but we have to recognise that gender specific medical conditions exist and that diagnosed early enough, can be treated, or they will even more deeply impact future generations needlessly. The stress that serious illness puts upon a family can tear it apart and normalising discussion can only be positive for men and their families. Thank you for choosing to tackle this important subject.”
I take the opportunity to share additional information taken from published papers found on the internet.
A force multiplier is a factor that gives personnel or weapons the ability to accomplish greater feats than without it. The core principle is that identifying an issue at its earliest stages provides critical time and information, which can dramatically change the outcome of a situation.
The logic behind cancer screening programmes is that early detection of symptoms or signs can either prevent cancer from occurring or detect it at a localised stage, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.
Early detection is a vital force multiplier in fighting prostate cancer in the Caribbean, where countries face some of the highest prostate cancer mortality rates in the world. When caught early, prostate cancer is highly treatable, dramatically improving survival rates and quality of life.
The five-year survival rate for localised prostate cancer (cancer that hasn’t spread) is nearly 100%. This rate drops significantly if the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, which is more common in the Caribbean due to late diagnosis.
Early-stage cancer offers a wider range of less invasive and more effective treatments, such as active surveillance, minimally invasive surgery, and radiation therapy, which can help preserve urinary and sexual function.
Detecting cancer before it grows or spreads helps avoid severe complications like urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and bone metastases, ultimately leading to a better quality of life and lower healthcare costs.
Despite the clear benefits, several barriers hinder early detection efforts in the region:
Late-Stage Diagnosis: A primary contributing factor to the high mortality rates is that men often present with late-stage or metastatic disease.
Poor knowledge of symptoms, fear of a cancer diagnosis (fatalism), and cultural taboos around discussing reproductive health or the digital rectal exam (DRE) often cause men to delay seeking medical attention.
Men of African and Caribbean descent have a higher genetic risk and a higher incidence of aggressive prostate cancer, making early and targeted screening even more crucial.
