Like other countries in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has one of the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world. It is also the leading cause of cancer mortality in the population. Because of genetic factors, men of African heritage are more at risk of developing the disease and getting more aggressive forms than men of other ethnicities. Also many Afro-Caribbean men in the country have been reluctant to come forward for the tests that increase the chances of prostate cancer being picked up at a stage when it can be cured. In particular, a barrier deterring many men is a widespread myth that a digital rectal examination of the gland by a doctor can turn straight men gay.

Anu Anand meets doctors and prostate cancer survivors who are hoping to change such attitudes in T&T, and looks at the treatments that can save men’s lives if prostate cancer is diagnosed early enough.

Picture: Victor going for his last radiotherapy session, © Anu Anand

Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker Show less