Prostate cancer survivor, Carl Pittman. He urges men over the age of 50 to get checked every year. Victor Besa / The National
Prostate cancer survivor, Carl Pittman. He urges men over the age of 50 to get checked every year. Victor Besa / The National
Prostate cancer survivor, Carl Pittman. He urges men over the age of 50 to get checked every year. Victor Besa / The National
Prostate cancer survivor, Carl Pittman. He urges men over the age of 50 to get checked every year. Victor Besa / The National

Movember: how a simple blood test for cancer can save your life


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

Men’s health is the focus of a special campaign throughout November to encourage men to talk about health problems.

It was started in Melbourne, Australia 17 years ago when two friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, aimed to resurrect the much maligned moustache.

Movember, as it became known, evolved into a public health campaign for men to talk about prostate cancer and other health issues.

Prostate cancer is an under-reported area of men’s health but can be easily detected.

“Prostate cancer makes up about five per cent of cancer cases in the UAE, compared with about 15 per cent elsewhere in North America and Europe,” said Dr Manaf Al Hashimi, urology consultant at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

If an uncle or brother has had the disease the man is more at risk and should be screened

“A lot depends on family history, if an uncle or brother has had the disease the man is more at risk and should be screened.

Screening is usually recommended for anyone over 50, but with a family history of prostate cancer, it should be done at age 40.

The test is a clinical exam and blood test that looks for prostate specific antigens (PSA). A reading higher than three for PSA could warrant further exploration.

“There is nothing embarrassing about the test. Sometimes we may do an ultrasound test to check the size of the prostate,” said Dr Al Hashimi.

Men are notoriously bad at visiting their doctor, even for a routine check-up, he said.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men globally. More than 1.3 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. According to World Health Organisation figures from 2018, 12 per cent of all male cancers in the UAE are prostate, 2.4 per cent are fatal cases.

Prostate cancer can present without symptoms, making a blood test vital for early detection.

Treatment is offered through radiation and hormone therapy, or surgeons may decide to remove the prostate.

Dr Waleed Hassen, the department chairman of urology at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, said data collected at the hospital shows prostate cancer is likely to be as common in the UAE as anywhere else.

UAE-based DJ Kris Fade doing a Movember shave to raise awareness of men's health issues in 2018. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE-based DJ Kris Fade doing a Movember shave to raise awareness of men's health issues in 2018. Pawan Singh / The National

“It is the most common cancer in men and in most parts of the world it is the leading cause of solid tumour death,” he said.

“There is a misconception prostate cancer is low in this region - that is one of the challenges as to why people do not get screened as they should.

“One reason is the Middle East has a younger demographic than elsewhere and there is a low number of Emirati men over the age of 50, maybe less than 50,000.

“Because of that we would not expect to see a lot of cases as the average age is younger.

“As the population ages, we expect to see more cases of prostate cancer.”

As the disease is often asymptomatic, there can be a long time between diagnosis and death. If the PSA rate collected from a blood sample is less than 10, there is on average a 30 per cent chance of having prostate cancer, doctors said.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi performs about 200 prostatectomies - where the prostate or part of it is removed - every year.

“We find that 60 per cent of our specimens are a more locally advanced stage of the disease which suggests a population of men that are not being adequately or accurately screened,” said Dr Hassen.

“They are presenting at a later stage which makes it harder to cure and preserve their quality of life in terms of urinary and sexual function.”

Cancer survivor offers warning to other men

Briton Carl Pittman is recovering from having his prostate removed, almost two years after being diagnosed with cancer.

The 60-year-old was given the devastating news after a routine PSA blood test that probably saved his life.

Early detection gave him an excellent chance of making a full recovery.

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“My advice to anyone who is 50 or older is go for a PSA test every year,” said Mr Pittman, who lives in Mussaffah, Abu Dhabi.

“My results in 2019 were slightly raised so it was investigated further. That’s when I was told I need a biopsy.”

Although there was no history of prostate cancer in Mr Pittman’s family his father had stomach and bowel cancer.

In a recent US study by the Mayo Clinic Cancer Centre of 3,000 patients in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, it was discovered one in eight cancer patients had an inherited cancer-related gene mutation.

Mr Pittman's surgery took place at the NMC Specialty Hospital, Abu Dhabi in January 2019.

He said the care offered by Dr Rishikesh Pandya, a urologist at NMC Healthcare enabled him to make a full recovery after his prostate was removed.

"I’m very hopeful for the future," said Mr Pittman.

"Within a few months, maybe a year I was back to normal. The most important thing is I’m alive."

“Carl’s cancer was detected early because he knows the importance of prostate awareness,” said Dr Pandya.

“Awareness leads to early detection by screening, so the surgery alone became sufficient.”

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Results

5pm: Al Falah – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bshara, Richard Mullen (jockey), Salem Al Ketbi (trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Al Dhafra – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Mualami, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

6.30pm: Al Khaleej Al Arabi – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Hawafez, Adrie de Vries, Abubakar Daud

7pm: Al Mafraq – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi

7.30pm: Al Samha – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Patrick Cosgrave, Ismail Mohammed

Poacher
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

South Africa v India schedule

Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg

ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion

T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town

Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
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Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

If you go

The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.


The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.


The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
57%20Seconds
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While you're here
SPECS
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The%20specs
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