Tanzania: Kikwete Urges Men to Undergo Regular Prostate Cancer Screening

Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has called on men in Tanzania to regularly undergo prostate health screenings to detect prostate cancer early and ensure timely treatment. During a Prostate Cancer Awareness Month event at Kairuki Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Kikwete toured the hospital's High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) facility, an advanced technology for treating tumors without conventional surgery.

Kikwete, a prostate cancer survivor, disclosed that he was diagnosed in 2014 and subsequently underwent surgery. He emphasized that advances in medical technology have made early detection more accessible, urging men not to fear screening. Kikwete recounted how his doctors observed his prostate enlargement over the years, but at the time, they reassured him that gradual enlargement was not necessarily a cause for concern.

He later learned that the cancer was at an early stage and could be treated through surgery, which he had to undergo in the United States. Kikwete commended Kairuki Hospital for investing in HIFU technology, stating that if available earlier, he might not have needed surgery or traveled abroad for treatment. He urged for increased investment in similar medical technologies across Tanzania to address the growing burden of tumors and reduce reliance on a single facility.

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer among men in Tanzania, accounting for between 31.4% and 40% of all cancer cases among men registered at health facilities in the country, and ranks as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men globally, after throat and liver cancers.