Strategy launched to treat prostate cancer
An integrated strategy for the prevention, support and treatment of prostate cancer was launched today.
The plan, which was the result of collaborative efforts by the Ministry of Health, the Bermuda Hospitals Board and the charity DailyMale, was designed to raised awareness of prostate health.
The Integrated Care in Bermuda pathway — a comprehensive document that highlights critical screening guidelines for treatment — was launched at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
Kim Wilson, the health minister, highlighted the importance of the strategy as she noted that prostate cancer is the Nȯ1 disease to affect men on the island.
“In fact, in Bermuda it makes up 33 per cent of cancer diagnosis in men, with over 50 new cases recorded each year,” she added.
She said the mortality rate for prostate cancer in Bermuda is twice the average rate recorded by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development globally.
Ms Wilson added: “It is critical that we understand and improve care pathways for prostate cancer, so that we can deliver the most effective screening and the best, most efficient treatment for men who are diagnosed.”
She said the goal is to improve outcomes and share information on what can be done to understand and reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, so that men and their families can make informed decisions about their health.
R. Scott Pearman, the chief executive and president of the BHB, said the board wanted to see the best possible health outcomes for the community.
He said: “This integrated prostate cancer pathway follows on similar work completed for breast cancer that has seen improvements in the pathway for women.
“Our plan is to next complete a similar integrated care pathway for colon cancer.
“The central purpose of the cancer pathway is making a difference in the lives of the people of Bermuda.”
He said the BHB is also working with Johns Hopkins Medical International on similar pathway strategies for trauma and burn care which, he noted, will improve the effectiveness of health response efforts.
Jonathan Makanjuola, the BHB’s consultant urologist and founder of DailyMale — a mobile health screening clinic — said work on the strategy started when he came to the island to work in 2022.
He added: “This process has been a great way to look at what we can improve in prostate cancer care and the care of our men on the island.”
Dr Makanjuola said the strategy aims to improve screening and ensures men receive any required treatment early.
He added: “We know that early diagnosis makes a massive difference in outcomes.”
Dr Makanjuola said that the state of cancer in Bermuda was mapped from 2022 and the process revealed key opportunities to improve the pathway.
The process includes early detection, standardisation of care and, importantly, patient support.
Through DailyMale, Dr Makanjuola said, free prostate cancer screening was made available for men on the island.
He highlighted that over 250 men have been screened in the past two years and ten advanced cases were picked up during the process in men without insurance.
Dr Makanjuola said that collaborative efforts with the Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre led to the men being offered free treatment.
He pointed out that doctors often come to the island from different backgrounds and said that the care pathway was the result of unified efforts from medical professionals.
Dr Makanjuola added that he met medical colleagues in the Caribbean and he noted that Bermuda was identified as a leader in integrated guidelines for its population.
He added: “If detected early, we can cure prostate issues, including cancer and it is very treatable.
“Men should not be suffering in silence,” he added.
• To see the prostate care booklet, see Related Media
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