Prostate cancer: the silent threat that took Mr Z's mobility and could jeopardise yours too

SYMPTOMS OFTEN ELUSIVE

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"IT HAS spread and can't be cured. But I don't understand. It came out of nowhere?

That night I entered casualty to see a patient who suddenly lost the ability to walk.

Unexpectedly, I was directed to Mr Z, a 43-year-old businessman, who warmly greeted me with a strong handshake, a broad smile and an unforgettable zest for life.

He lay supine on a stretcher, yet his animated expression starkly contrasted with the stillness of his legs.

Puzzled, I implored further.

Mr Z seemed to have been unfazed by the presentation and reassured me that he would "walk again in no time".

He complained of weight loss over the last few months, associated with recent back pain partially relieved by over-the-counter pain medications.

I conducted a thorough examination, concluding with a digital rectal examination. Speechless, I assimilated my clinical findings.

The bone-chilling differential glared at me through Mr Z's kind, enquiring eyes.

"I suspect something serious and this is an emergency," was my best attempt to prepare him for a life-changing diagnosis.

I vividly remember my time in the Department of Urology as a junior medical officer during my community service at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg. The hands-on experience over six months at a busy academic hospital allowed me to gain an abundance of clinical experience in independently examining and managing patients specific to the sub-speciality.

Significantly, I discovered that prostate cancer is not uncommon locally, correlating with international statistics as the most common cancer in men following skin cancer.