ABSTRACT
Background: screening for prostate cancer (PCa) is surrounded by controversies regarding the benefits, risks and uncertainties of undergoing the screening. Current practices of prostate cancer involve measuring the level of PSA and digital rectal examination. This study aimed to measure the knowledge and awareness of undergoing a prostate cancer screening and the available treatment options amongst the participants.
Method: a questionnaire-based quantitative cross-sectional study which focuses on determining the knowledge of prostate cancer screening and management in a hospital in Riyadh.
Results: three hundred and twenty-three participants filled the surveys (100% males), more than 80% of all ages had heard about prostate cancer and that it is a disease of the male. A higher level of education is significantly associated with the level of awareness (P-value <0.001). More educated participants selected 40 years old as the appropriate age for PCa screening (P-value 0.009) and radiotherapy as the mode of treatment (P-value 0.01). 43.34% saw PCa as a cause of death and 41.4% saw it associated with smoking. Only 17.84% undergo continuous PCa screening most of them in 50-60 age group with “reassurance" as the main motivator. 37.8% of the participants did not know the symptoms of PCa and around 25% selected pain in micturition, difficult frequent micturition and bone pain as symptoms of PCa.
Conclusion: although prostate cancer is known amongst the majority of the participants, only a minority of them has knowledge of the symptoms and undergoes regular screening.