Photocredit:Google
Experts Link Cooking Practices to Rising Prostate Cancer Rates in Africa
Renowned cancer specialists have sounded the alarm about traditional meat preparation methods in Africa, cautioning that the widespread habit of overcooking and charring red meat may be contributing significantly to the continent’s heavy burden of advanced prostate cancer.
At the ongoing Science of Advanced Prostate Cancer (SoAPCA) Conference in Lagos, researchers highlighted troubling trends: most prostate cancer cases in Nigeria and across Africa are detected only when the disease has already progressed to advanced stages. This late diagnosis makes the cancer harder to treat and often deadlier. They emphasized that meaningful progress will be impossible unless African nations develop their own inclusive, culturally sensitive systems for clinical trials.
Addressing the media at the event, Prof. Folakemi Odedina, Professor of Haematology and Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, explained that the process of cooking meat until it becomes very dry and charred—common across many African households—releases carcinogenic substances linked directly to prostate cancer.
“It isn’t necessarily the red meat itself that’s the problem, but how we prepare it,” Odedina noted. “Across Nigeria and Africa, we often prefer our meat extremely dry, burnt, and charred. Unfortunately, this method generates harmful chemicals that research has associated with prostate cancer. Perhaps it’s time we rethink and soften our cooking habits.”
Odedina, who also founded the Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium (CaPTC), stressed that both genetic predispositions and lifestyle choices make African men particularly vulnerable to the disease. Yet, despite this high risk, research involving African populations remains scarce. She warned that many treatments currently being used in Africa were designed and tested elsewhere, without adequate local participation.
“The tragedy is that by the time most African men seek care, the cancer is already at a very advanced stage,” she said. “That is why clinical trials are so important. Without African involvement, drugs are developed in other regions, and we simply hope they will work for our people.”
Adding her voice, Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, Professor of Radiology and Co-Chair of the African Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC), underscored the urgent need to bridge gaps in Africa’s clinical research landscape. She pointed out that while Africa accounts for about a quarter of the global disease burden, the continent hosts fewer than 4 percent of global clinical trials.
“This imbalance is not just unfair; it leaves us without adequate evidence for how treatments work in our own populations,” Okoye explained. She proposed solutions such as decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), which would make participation easier by using regional clinics, mobile health workers, telemedicine, and local pharmacies.
“Picture a trial where consent is obtained at a nearby clinic, follow-ups are handled virtually, and medicines are collected at local pharmacies,” she said. “By bringing research closer to people, we can ensure African men gain timely access to new therapies.”
The experts agreed that tackling Africa’s prostate cancer crisis requires a two-pronged approach: reducing lifestyle risk factors like consuming heavily burnt meat, while simultaneously embedding clinical trials that reflect African realities into healthcare systems across the continent.
The Lagos meeting marked a historic milestone as the first conference in Africa dedicated specifically to advanced prostate cancer. It brought together medical practitioners, researchers, survivors, and policymakers under the theme: “Addressing Advanced Prostate Cancer in Africa Through Inclusive Clinical Trials.”
In her closing remarks, Prof. Okoye reminded delegates that prostate cancer is not just about statistics but about real human lives. “Behind every data point is a person,” she said. “If we are serious about equity, our men must not only be patients but also active participants in the science shaping their care.”
Kindly Share This!!!
VanguardNews
0 Comments