Government ‘will be ready’ to implement prostate cancer screening programme next year

The government will be ready to implement a programme for prostate cancer screening in the first three months of next year, Dipa MP Michalis Giakoumi said on Thursday.

Giakoumi was speaking at the House Health Committee and said the Health Ministry had released a report announcing its readiness to implement the programme.

He said the prevention of prostate cancer “is very important”, and that men over the age of 50, or over the age of 40 with a family history of prostate cancer, should undergo annual prostate examinations.

Committee Chrairman and Disy MP Efthimios Diplaros and Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvides said Cyprus would be the first European Union country to implement population screening for prostate cancer.

Savvides described Cyprus as “a pioneer in the European family on the matter of men’s health”

Diplaros also said after the session that participants agreed there is a need for an information campaign that will raise awareness among the male population for the importance of testing and prevention.

He clarified that the European Union is expected to issue specific population criteria next year, which Cyprus will follow. There are currently three population-based programmes and a recommendation from the European Union to introduce programmes for prostate and lung cancer, he noted.

Meanwhile, Akel MP Christos Christofias criticised the health ministry for announcing that screening testing would be available earlier, without taking into account the necessary preparations.

For his part, Green Party MP Stavros Papadouris said it has not yet been made clear whether those tests will be available without a GP referral.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and the second most common cause of cancer death in the male population. It predominantly affects older men. In Cyprus there are about 460 new cases per year, with an increasing trend in recent years.

Testing is recommended for men over 40 with a family history of prostate cancer, and for all men aged 50 and older. Testing should be done regardless of symptoms since cancer usually develops slowly, without causing symptoms that lead to a doctor.

This month, the non-profit cancer association Pasykaf is carrying out a campaign dedicated to prostate cancer awareness, as part of its programme for prevention and early detection of male cancer, which includes prostate, testicular and bladder cancer.

Meanwhile, another issue MPs discussed concerned the control of vaping and heated tobacco products.

Akel’s Christofias recommended for a message to be added on such products, informing of the harmfulness of smoking, as is done on the packets of cigarettes and tobacco.

There are studies, he noted, that have identified toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in the vapour of these preparations, the heated products, as well as evidence that suggests that human body cells exposed to the vapour deteriorate and stop functioning, as well as the potential for inflammation and lung infections.

The left-wing party has asked that the Cyprus Addiction Treatment Authority undertake a campaign to inform the public, especially young people, about the harmful effects that vaping appears to have.