KUWAIT: Men over 50 years old should adopt a healthy lifestyle and get prostate cancer screenings regularly, officials urged at the launch of an awareness campaign for prostate cancer. Cancer Awareness Nation (CAN) campaign, in cooperation with Kuwait Urological Association (KUA) launched the “Kuwait Campaign for Awareness of Prostate Cancer at the age of 50” on Monday. Chairman of the Board of CAN Dr Khalid Al-Saleh said 2020 statistics released by Kuwait Cancer Control Center shows prostate cancer incidence rate among Kuwaitis reaches 51 new cases annually, accounting for 8.7 percent of cancer cases among Kuwaitis. Among non-Kuwaiti men, there are 40 new cases annually, representing 6.6 percent of all cancer cases in that group.

The campaign, said Dr Al-Saleh, aims to provide information about the disease by offering specialized medical personnel for direct consultations with the public in shopping malls, as well as delivering lectures and encouraging screenings for tumor markers.

Dr Al-Saleh said regular screenings are of great importance because an increase in tumor markers can indicate a higher risk of developing the disease. The campaign also seeks to raise community awareness across all demographics, focusing particularly on the targeted demographic of men older than 50.

Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ministry Undersecretary Dr Bader Al-Mutairi said the Ministry is keen on participating in awareness campaigns for prostate cancer to protect individuals in the professional and occupational community of all backgrounds and types, ensuring their health and preventing this disease while promoting health awareness about it.

Mutairi’s remarks came in a speech delivered on his behalf by Director of Technical Affairs Dr Bader Al-Dhafiri during the launch of the campaign, which is organized by CAN and KUA under the patronage of Health Minister Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi. He said this campaign coincides with the globally recognized Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and aims to raise awareness about the disease’s early symptoms and urge the targeted group to go through early tests including the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test.