“The five-year survival rate of regional prostate cancer, meaning that it has not spread to other organs, is almost 100 per cent,” says Dr Amgad Farouk, Consultant Urology at Medcare Hospital Al Safa. When it has metastasized however, this rate plummets to 31 per cent, making early detection and treatment that much more important. As Movember, or the month that focuses on men’s health, ticks on, Medcare Hospital Al Safa focuses on raising awareness of one of the most common cancers that plague men, of the prostate. It affects 5 in 1,000 Emirati men, show recent studies. “The prostate is a small organ, the size of a ping pong ball, located deep inside the groin, in front of the rectum. It is an important reproductive organ in men,” explains Dr Farouk. There may be a number of reasons for a man to shy away from checks, especially since the most common symptoms - frequent urination and a weak urine flow - mimic that of urinary tract infections, but it is imperative that men over the age of 40 get routine checks. “Prostate cancer is much more common in men over the age of 50 years. This is why it is so important to start screening for prostate cancer from the age of 40 years,” he explains. Other symptoms that may point to an issue are blood in urine or semen; erectile dysfunction; unexplained weight loss; and bone pain, if it has spread to the bones.