Prostate Cancer Screening by General Practitioners in Lomé, Togo

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer is a common disease in men over 50 years. Only early detection by screening can guarantee a favourable outcome. Objective: The objective of the study is to report on the practice of prostate cancer screening by general practitioners in Lomé. Material and Method: This was a practice survey. A questionnaire administered to general practitioners allowed to examine the following parameters: the practitioner’s years of practice, the screening criteria, the screening tools and the factors motivating the request for urological advice. The data were analysed using the software Epi info 7.1.5. The P value was considered significant below 0.05. Results: One hundred and eighty (180) physicians average-aged 29 were administered among whom one hundred and fifty-seven (157) males and twenty-three (23) females. The average duration of the medical practice was 35.2 months (6 months - 204 months). The screening criteria were age (47.2%), family history of cancer (17.8%), and age over 50 years associated with symptoms of the low urinary tract (35%). The practitioner’s experience did not affect these criteria (p = 0.12). The screening tools were the digital rectal examination (DRE) associated with prostate specific antigen (PSA) assay (20.5%), PSA alone (29.5%), DRE alone (6.6%), suprapubic ultrasound (32.3%) and endorectal ultrasound (11.1%). The choice of the screening tool was related to the practitioner’s experience (p = 0.03). The determining factor for a urological consultation was a high PSA (>4 ng/ml) independent of the DRE. Conclusion: Prostate cancer screening is largely done by general practitioners in Lomé. However, the use of some criteria and tools for the screening is not optimal.