Prostate cancer awareness and screening among male public servants in Anambra State, Nigeria

Introduction and objectives: Early detection of prostate cancer (PCa) with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has led to a stage migration with increased detection of early stage, potentially curable disease. Knowledge about PSA screening for PCa among men will lead to increased detection of potentially curable disease. Subjects and methods: Male public servants in Anambra State, Southeast, Nigeria, were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire on their knowledge of PCa and PSA screening. Results were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2007. Results: A total of 652 men completed the questionnaire. Their mean age was 45.1 years (range 20–69). Overall, 74.1% of the respondents were aware of the existence of PCa, while 76.1% were able to identify one or more symptoms of the disease. Difficulty in passing urine was identified as the most common presenting symptom by 45.3% of the respondents, while 87% were able to identify risk factors for PCa. Whereas 56.7% were aware of PSA screening and 92% expressed interest in having PCa screening if recommended only 6.4% had undergone PSA screening in the preceding year. Conclusion: Despite a high awareness of PCa among public servants in Anambra State, Nigeria, a very small proportion of these men had undergone PSA screening. To achieve a stage migration in PCa detection in Nigeria, early detection using PSA screening should be actively driven by health personnel using the media.