‘Jordanian men more likely to die of prostate cancer than US counterparts’

AMMAN — GLOBOCAN research estimates that Jordanian men are 5.3 times more likely to die from prostate cancer as compared with their US counterparts. Men over 50, who account for 8 per cent of the overall male population, represent the group at highest risk, according to a statement released recently by ASTELLA Pharma Inc.

Prostate cancer is a slow-growing tumour, but Abdul Naser M. Al Shunaigat, consultant urologist and the president of the Jordanian Association of Urological Surgeons, said that “due to the lack of knowledge and awareness of the disease, men in this region are diagnosed in the late stage of the disease. The ongoing frustration is that this disease has a high potential for a complete cure if it is diagnosed early”.

Sana Al Sukhun, president of the Jordan Oncology Society, said that there are treatments that can be administered at every stage of prostate cancer. “Hormonal therapies enable physicians to manage the disease according to patients’ conditions, offering effective results, with an established side effect profile,” the statement quoted Sukhun as saying.