I am delighted, as the PM says he is, that the NRH has finally acquired a CT scan such a vital item of investigative equipment, although very expensive.
Equally important in, the context of detection of cancer, a serious problem for many in the Solomon Islands, both men and women, is screening and testing.
In the case of women, it is vitally important that the NRH’s Cancer Unit be provisioned with at least one functioning mammogram machine to be used in a regular screening programme to check women for early evidence of cancer in the breast. It detected early enough breast cancer can be treated
In the case of men, particularly those over 45 years, a sample of blood should be taken, say every six months, called a PSA test to check for cancer, in the prostate
Prostate cancer is often referred to as the “silent killer “and in most cases, a man does not know of the presence of cancer in his prostate until happenings like frequency in urination and possibly low back pain cause him to see a doctor.
If not detected by a PSA test early enough cancer in the prostate can spread outside the prostate gland and become life threatening if not treated with possibly radiation treatment, if detected early enough, or with expensive hormone therapy drugs which have nasty side effects, including extreme tiredness and extreme weight gain.
I can vouch for the nasty side effects of taking hormone therapy for prostate cancer since my own cancer diagnosis was not discovered early enough.
Diabetes, which I have written about as a serious concern in the Solomon Islands and is usually linked to an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, can have implications leading to dementia.
I will quote some latest advice on this from the UKs Independent news.
Quote
“Having type 2 diabetes in middle age could mean you are four times more likely to develop dementia.
Researchers who tracked almost 5,000 people over a decade found those aged 55 who had diabetes were 4.3 times more likely to get dementia in the ten years after they turned 65.
The study, published in the journal Neurology, found most will have had type 2 diabetes, which is linked to an unhealthy diet and being overweight.
Diabetes has long been linked to dementia, with experts suspecting it can lead to the build-up of potentially harmful proteins in the brain.
Professor Emer McGrath, who led the study from the National University of Ireland, Galway, said: ‘This shows that people who have diabetes in their 50s are more likely to develop dementia – probably because having the condition at a younger age can do more damage to your body and brain.’
End of quote.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
