Men urged to undergo digital rectal examination

MANILA, Philippines - To combat prostate cancer, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday that all men 20 years old and above could avail of free digital rectal examination (DRE) in 64 hospitals nationwide, in line with the celebration of Father’s Day on Sunday.

DRE is one of the main screening procedures used in assessing the prostate.

DOH Secretary Enrique Ona said that while prostate cancer is the 4th most common cancer among Filipino males, most Filipinos are still not aware of it, so a “vast majority of cases are detected in advanced stage.”

“Increasing age is the most important risk and the number of Filipino males aged 40 years and older is the main reason for the significant increase and the expected continuing increase in cases,” he noted.

Ona added that many prostate cancer cases are “very slowly growing” and might not show symptoms in its early stage.

Based on the 2010 Cancer Facts and Figures of the Philippine Cancer Society, some 2,700 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed yearly in the country, with an estimated 1, 410 deaths. The incidence rate starts to increase sharply starting at age 55.

The free DRE is available in 27 DOH-retained hospitals and 37 private hospitals as part of the “National PaDRE Program” and “Men’s Health Day.”

The “National PaDRE” program started in 1996 as a project of the DOH and the Philippine Urological Association (PUA). It was conceptualized to catch the attention of the Filipino male population and to increase awareness on prostate diseases, particularly prostate cancer.

The free screening will be done in the 64 DRE centers from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow.

According to Ona, patients who avail of the free DRE and would need additional laboratory exams, such as the prostate specific antigen (PSA), prostate ultrasound and biopsies will be given requests for such examination.

If such examinations are not available in participating hospitals, the patients will be referred to a diagnostic laboratory where they might be tested at discounted rates.