Saint Lucia now has an early prostate cancer detection programme, providing free Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing to men over 40.
It is a joint initiative of the St. Lucia Laboratory Services, the Lions Club and the Saint Lucia Hospitality & Tourism Association (SLHTA).
The programme aims to detect prostate cancer early and thereby potentially impact and save the lives of over 1000 men across the island.
The SLHTA donated $EC20,000 to the Lions Club of Gros Islet during the project launch on Thursday to ensure the initiative’s success.
“We have produced vouchers which will be distributed to the men in the target range of 40 to 70 through our various workplace and community outlets and when you get that voucher you will come into any of the lab outlets and you can redeem that voucher and get your free PSA test,” Dr. Steven King of St. Lucia Laboratory Services stated during the project launch.
“Those Results will be communicated to you and you will be advised and spoken to about linking with a healthcare provider,” King stated.
He noted that nine conveniently located islandwide laboratories have specialised facilities for accurate PSA testing.
According to King, even in the absence of comprehensive data regarding prostate cancer cases in Saint Lucia, the disease is a major killer.
He disclosed that there are high prostate cancer levels among Caribbean men.
Available research indicates that the region has one of the highest mortality rates in the Caribbean, surpassing various developed countries.
Dr. King revealed that when the Lions Club did its PSA screening in 2021, of 273 men between the ages of 40 and 70, 55 of them had PSAs over 10, and 40 had PSAs under 10; that’s a 34% abnormal prostate in that population of people screened.
Prostate cancer survivor Sunil Ramdeen was a featured speaker who talked about his experience and pleaded with men to make getting a PSA test a priority.
Ramdeen wished he had gone for his sooner for early detection and prevention of the pain he endured.
He has authored ‘Chosen’ – a book which chronicles his experience.
