UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: Carcinoma of the prostate (CaP) is the commonest diagnosed cancer amongst males in Nigeria with most patients presenting at advanced stages of the disease. We now report on a study done to evaluate the impact of a health education program about CaP on the knowledge base of Nigerian men and their willingness to undergo screening.

Methods: Officers of a para-military organization in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria were selected for the study. A 1-hour seminar presentation on CaP was conducted at the headquarters of the organisation. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires prior to and after the seminar. Following the seminar, the participants were also asked to indicate whether or not they were willing to submit a blood sample for PSA screening.

Results: A total of 111 officers registered for the study. Ninety-four officers (84.7% of the study population) completed both test questionnaires. The age-range, mean and median ages of the respondents were similar to those of the whole group. The mean test scores improved from 14.06% before the seminar to 50.77% after it (P = 0.00000). Increasing levels of education was associated with higher pretest score (P = 0.0001) but not post-test scores (P = 0.224). Furthermore, all male respondents indicated a willingness to undergo a PSA-screening test.The study demonstrates that the level of awareness about CaP amongst Nigerian men this can be improved after a 1-hour seminar on the topic and result in a willingness to undergo PSA-screening independent of the level of education.