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Over the years, many of us have learned to understand cancer better.
There was a time when we didn’t talk about it, we refused to acknowledge it and we pretended it didn’t exist.
Things have changed for the better now, but not for all cancers.
Some cancers are still difficult to discuss and this includes prostate cancer.
This is why we were delighted to learn how former CIMB CEO Datuk Seri Nazir Razak decided to step up and talk about his personal experience with prostate cancer and how he is helping to create more awareness about the disease.
When speaking with Rojak Daily, Nazir said he first found out he had prostate cancer by accident and has repeatedly stressed that he is one of the lucky ones.
“I was recommended an insurance product by my CIMB wealth advisors in October 2018 and I liked the product and said ok. The insurers asked me to do a medical exam and I said sure, because I’m a very healthy guy.” he joked.
Since he was in the UK at the time, Nazir went to a family doctor to get tested and suddenly found that his PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), which is a marker of prostate cancer, was high.
“They told me this could be prostate cancer. From there, we moved on to the next stage, which was an MRI.
“Here they basically took pictures and we could see three or four prostate cancers quite clearly.”
Describing it as the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience, Nazir said doctors then had to perform a biopsy which basically required them to cut the area and take a sample from her prostate.
Only after this procedure was her prostate cancer confirmed.
“I had no idea. I had very little knowledge and had no symptoms. This is why some people call this a silent killer because you have no symptoms and the next thing you know you find out and it’s too late, “he said.
Nazir said that once he was suspected of prostate cancer, he started reading as much as he could about it.
“Knowledge can be powerful, so when prostate cancer was confirmed to me, I already knew what it was and I knew that as long as it was still in an early stage, the chances of decisive treatment and full recovery were very high. .
“The definition of prostate cancer is this. The early stage means that the cancer has remained in the prostate. When the cancer is still in the prostate, they can remove the prostate and the cancer along with it.
“But when it’s in an advanced stage, that’s when the cancer left the prostate and started spreading to the rest of the body,” he explained.
Once spread, it becomes much more complicated.
“That’s why some people die from lung cancer, but the origin was in the prostate because the cancer has spread to other parts.”
Earlier in the campaign itself, Nazir said it was something he felt he had to do due to the high survival rate for this particular type of cancer.
“Our message is about how men can survive SE prostate cancer detected early. If you look at the data, 60% of prostate cancer in Malaysia is discovered at an advanced stage. The international averages are between 20% and 25%.
“So, we have a plan to lower that number. If I lower that number, I will save lives and save a lot of men, a lot of pain, “he said clearly.
As for early detection, Nazir said it was slightly complicated when it came to prostate cancer.
He said the main problem was that the false positive rate for the PSA test was relatively high.
“Rather than having everyone tested so regularly and bearing in mind that prostate cancer usually occurs with older men, we recommend that if you are over 50, you should have it tested every year.
“If you are under the age of 50, you should get tested if you have symptoms. If you have a family story, maybe try it first. This is the official advice that urologists in Malaysia are giving, ”he said. Treatment for prostate cancer also differs from one patient to another.
Some patients will only be advised to leave it alone and keep an eye on it, while others will be advised to remove the prostate completely.
“It just depends on how aggressive he is. Every man has prostate cancer, the vast majority get it after he is dead or when he is dead.
“The estimate is that 10% of men will receive it in their lifetime and of that 10% not everyone needs to have it treated. Sometimes the advice would just be to let it be, “he said, adding that the decision on what to do should follow the advice given by the experts.
As for his experience, testing the aggressiveness of his cancer was based on the Gleason score.
“The Gleeson score estimates how aggressive the cancer is, which equates to the chances of it leaving the prostate.
“Men with high testosterone or at a young age tend to get a high Gleason score if they have prostate cancer. The Gleeson score is between 1 and 10. Mine was 9, so he was very aggressive.
“Finally, when they removed and tested it, they told me that if I waited three or four months, it would become advanced. I was very lucky, “he said, adding that if detected early, over 90% of prostate cancer patients survive for 10 years.
Survival rates plummet to around 20% if detected late.
Discussing cancer can be difficult and, with shy Malaysians, talking about prostate cancer can be even more inspiring.
However, this was not the case with Nazir.
“I’m a very open person and I’m pretty cold about it. But I know the reason we have such a large number of late discoveries is because people don’t want to talk about it, “he said.
He added that it was essential to understand the symptoms of prostate cancer and get adequate treatment.
On the symptoms themselves, Nazir said that “Firstly men will feel like they need to urinate more frequently and secondly, I’m not sure you quote me directly on this, you basically can’t get it up.”
“These are the most common symptoms and many men have these types of symptoms and don’t want to talk about it.
“They won’t have it tested because it’s quite embarrassing to go to the clinic and say” I can’t get up “, but that’s what I’m here for.
“The whole project is to get it out and say that if you can’t get it up, you could have prostate cancer. I don’t care if you’re embarrassed, you better get it tested because you might die, ”he said, with a noticeable change in his tone.
When asked what was the most challenging part of the whole process, Nazir said it was the biopsy as it included minor surgery.
“They basically go in and stick a needle into a very sensitive area of your body. The biopsy itself took me some time to recover, and it’s the painful one.
“The other tests for prostate cancer are the PSA blood test and the digital rectal exam or DRE.
“Some people find it painful, some people tend to enjoy it,” he remarked cheekily.
Nazir said that, as with all types of surgery, there were always risks.
“You read about it and realize that many things can go wrong. Sometimes prostate removal is successful, but they accidentally cut other parts and you have different kinds of problems, infections and so on.
“So, you worry. The recovery process is also quite critical. You want your body to return to normal. You have to do pelvic exercises very diligently and also “other things” to make sure you’re back in “full gear”, “he said.
All in all, Nazir said that detecting cancer early and treating it was the most important thing.
“The fear of surgery, recovery and so on is something you just have to face. The worst thing is if you are afraid and then you don’t get treated and you die, “he said.
While recovering, Nazir explained that it gave him plenty of time to think about his life choices and there were a number of things he regretted.
“Previously, I used to be involved in a lot of things. I don’t sweat over small things like I used to.
“I also wanted to live a healthier life. They don’t know what causes cancer. Everyone guesses, but I smoked too much to begin with and stress was my middle name given the job I had. My mind was always at work.
“Also, I wasn’t disciplined with exercise and diet, and on reflection, I wish I was better at all of those other things,” he noted.
Nazir added that after he recovered, he was elated to have survived and felt it was vital to do something to give back to society.
“When I got home, I called the famous urologist Dr. George Lee. We are friends.
“I asked him if he could round up some of the best urologists and come over for tea. Then, the five of them walked up and I asked them how I could help,” he said.
He added that from there they identified some of the significant challenges related to prostate cancer in Malaysia and decided to work out the awareness campaign and other initiatives.
“I joined the Universiti Malaya Prostate Cancer Trust Fund and the fund together with the urologists basically came up with plans to do what we are doing now.
“My job is to find the money to do it and also be out there and be the face of the campaign. So, from the face of the CIMB, I have voluntarily become the face of prostate cancer now, “he laughed again.
It’s not all funny and funny, though. The team has a huge goal to achieve.
They hope to bring down the number of those who discover prostate cancer late in Malaysia to 30% (currently 60%).
They are also putting together programs to educate primary care doctors or primary care physicians on the issue.
“One of the problems in Malaysia is that we don’t have that many urologists, so we depend on family doctors to identify and provide the right advice to those suspected of prostate cancer,” he said, revealing that there are currently 128 urologists in the country. only 20 in the public sector.
Nazir said if all goes well, they also hope to raise more funds to allow free prostate cancer tests and anything else needed to help with the cause.
“The main message is early detection, I was over 50 and was lucky to have detected it because I was looking to purchase an insurance product. I should have disclosed it because I was diligent in getting my annual checks.
“I’m an example of a guy who got lucky. I want everyone to be lucky, “he said.
So, understand the symptoms, read the risks, and do your own checks.
To find out more about prostate cancer, go to www.onlymencan.com.
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