L-R; Runcie Chidebe, Executive Director, Project PINK BLUE; Joseph Ishie, Research and Admin Assistant, American Business Council; Michelle Akande, Country Manager Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson; Nneka Mobisson, Co-founder & CEO mDoc; Carmen Paping, Screening Manager Project PINK BLUE at the More Time For Life Event.
On Saturday, December 8th, 2018, Janssen, one of the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, invited guests to ‘More Time For Life!’, a one day health and social networking event that aimed to encourage men to be more proactive in taking control of their health in general and prostate health in particular. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Nigeria and will affect one in four black men in their lifetime. The event took place at Astro Turf, Ikoyi.
The event was aimed at not only significantly increasing awareness of prostate health issues but also in destigmatizing conversations around prostate cancer while empowering men and families with important information about lifestyle modification changes that research has shown can play a role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer or improving outcomes for men with prostate cancer.
Men over 40 were encouraged to take Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and other tests, an important step in both identifying prostate cancer earlier and in understanding one’s risk profile. Research shows that when detected early the survival rate for men with prostate cancer is 98%, dropping to 29% when detected at later stages.
Commenting on the event, Michelle Akande, Country Manager, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson said: Johnson & Johnson has been responding to healthcare needs for 125 years and our ambition is to change the trajectory of health for humanity in Nigeria. Today, we are proud to be partnering with mDoc, Project PINK BLUE, and The American Business Council to change the trajectory of prostate cancer in Nigeria. Overwhelmingly, late presentation to the healthcare system and poor outcomes characterize the prostate cancer experience of men in Nigeria today. Yet evidence tells us that early detection and lifestyle modifications can both improve outcomes for those with prostate cancer and reduce the associated risk factors of prostate cancer. It is very important that we increase our individual and collective understanding of prostate cancer.
She added: ‘More Time For Life!’ is adding to the national conversation about prostate cancer and is in support of the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Cancer Control Plan 2018 – 2022, which sets out ambitious goals, including: of making screening services and early detection of cancer available for all Nigerians, as well as increasing cancer awareness amongst the population.
- National Cancer Control Plan 2018 – 2022 (Nigeria)
- Prostate Cancer UK. Black Men and Prostate. https://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/black-men-andprostate-cancer/prostate -cancer-and-your risk. Accessed November 20th, 2018
- American Cancer Society. Survival rates for prostate cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates. Accessed December 4th, 2018
The event which targeted senior executives intended to create a network of prostate cancer advocates with the ability to influence the prostate cancer health seeking behaviour of men in their organizations and communities.
‘More Time for Life’ partners included mDoc, Project PINK BLUE, and the American Business Council.
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