September marks Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, a global campaign aimed at breaking stigma, sharing facts, and encouraging men to take proactive steps in safeguarding their health. The month brings together healthcare providers, researchers, survivors, and families to focus attention on a disease that remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in men worldwide.
Prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland, a small organ located below the bladder that produces seminal fluid. Family history plays a major role in determining risk. Men with close relatives—particularly fathers or brothers—diagnosed with the disease face a significantly higher chance of developing it themselves. Inherited genetic mutations such as BRCA2 are known to account for as much as 60% of cases, with men of African ancestry facing even greater risk. This, according to international studies, contributes to Black men being diagnosed more often, at younger ages, and with more aggressive forms of the disease.
In South Africa, the picture is particularly concerning. Andrew Oberholzer, CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of South Africa, notes that one in four Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer compared with one in eight white men. “Black African men are even more prone to develop aggressive prostate cancer than Black American men. Research is ongoing in Africa to better understand the genetic factors behind this,” he says.
Oberholzer stresses that the absence of symptoms in the early stages makes regular screening essential. The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test is a key tool for early detection. While low PSA levels are normal, elevated readings may indicate prostate cancer or other prostate conditions long before symptoms develop. Men with higher risk factors—including Black men and those with a family history of breast or prostate cancer—are encouraged to begin annual PSA screenings from the age of 40, while those at average risk should start at 45.
Despite the availability of tests, many men in South Africa are diagnosed too late. Lorraine Govender, CANSA’s National Manager of Health Programmes, warns that late-stage diagnoses often leave the cancer incurable. “Men are often diagnosed too late. Most present with advanced prostate cancer when treatment options are limited, costly, and carry life-changing side effects,” she explains. She adds that limited access to screening in resource-constrained communities, coupled with cultural taboos, stigma, and fear, prevents many from seeking medical help early.
Globally, prostate cancer accounts for around 6.6% of male deaths, but in South Africa, the rate is estimated at nearly double, around 13%. Yet outcomes are dramatically better when the disease is caught early. More than 99% of men diagnosed before the cancer spreads survive for at least five years, compared with just 30% when the disease has advanced.
Experts agree: awareness, early screening, and breaking the silence around prostate cancer are critical steps toward saving lives.
