In a recent conference that brought together global experts on advanced prostate cancer, alarming new details emerged on the factors fueling the disease among men in Nigeria and across the continent. At the Science of Advanced Prostate Cancer (SoAPCA) Conference in Lagos on Thursday, September 4, health experts revealed that common local methods of cooking red meat, particularly charring it, could be contributing significantly to the high burden of advanced prostate cancer. The experts also called for an urgent need to increase African participation in clinical trials to ensure treatments are effective for the continent’s unique genetic and lifestyle profiles.
Professor Folakemi Odedina, a renowned professor of Haematology and Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, directly linked the local preference for overcooked meat to the high prostate cancer rates. “It is not necessarily the red meat itself, but the way we cook it,” Odedina stated. She explained that cooking meat until it’s very dry and charred releases carcinogenic toxins that have been scientifically proven to increase cancer risk. The professor noted that African men are already genetically vulnerable to the disease, making this lifestyle factor particularly dangerous.
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A significant issue highlighted at the conference was the late-stage diagnosis of most prostate cancer cases in Africa, which makes them deadlier and more challenging to treat. This tragedy is further compounded by the severe underrepresentation of African men in global clinical trials. Professor Ifeoma Okoye, a Professor of Radiology and Co-Chair of the African Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC), emphasized this disparity. “Africa bears around a quarter of the world’s disease burden, yet less than 4 percent of global clinical trials take place here,” she said. This inequity leaves a major gap in the evidence for effective treatments within African populations.
The experts concluded that solving Africa’s prostate cancer crisis requires a two-fold approach. The first involves public education to reduce risky lifestyle behaviors, such as the consumption of burnt meat. The second is to urgently build a robust, culturally responsive clinical trial system on the continent. Professor Okoye outlined innovative strategies like decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), which would use local clinics and telemedicine to make it easier for African men to participate in research. This approach, she argued, would ensure that African men are not just patients but active participants in the scientific process that shapes their care.
