Cancer patient advocates are calling for targeted treatment of Māori men suffering from prostate cancer.
Dr Te Ururoa Flavell is one of these advocates, after being diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer last year.
“I ohorere au i tērā wā, pouri, i tīmata au ki te whakariterite i tōku ake tangihanga.’
(I was shocked at the time, saddened - I started to plan my own (funeral.)
Many advocates are coming forward in light of Blue September - an initiative raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer in Aotearoa, where the annual prostate cancer diagnosis number is estimated at 4,000 men.
Data released by Te Whatu Ora for the 2012-2021 period revealed:
- approximately 700 Kiwi men die from prostate cancer each year - that’s almost two men every day;
- one in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime; and
- prostate cancer is the second-highest cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer, and the third-highest for all (behind lung and bowel cancers).
“[The stats also] paint a picture that shows Māori men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are two and a half to three more times likely to die from it than non-Māori, and that’s a real concern for me,” Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ kaumatua Dene Ainsworth says.
Ainsworth was once a cancer patient himself, after being diagnosed in 2007, and he also served as a board member for the organsation for over 10 years.
He says some tāne are too whakamā to discuss and test for prostate cancer.
“Because of where the prostate is and what it does, there’s a perception among some men - in particular Māori men - that anything that impacts on that will change [the] perception [of others] - they’ll lose that warrior-type status.”
“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata. [It’s] better to be treated and be alive and be there for your mokos than to be staunch.”
Flavell highlights the challenges that Māori patients are faced with.
“Kua kōrero mai ētahi ki a au, kua roa e tatari ana kia kite i te tākuta, kātahi ka tau ki roto i te raina.”
“Kei reira tonu te āhuatanga o te kaikiri i roto i tēnei mea.”
(Some patients have told me how they’ve waited a long time to see a doctor, and then they’re put on the list. There are still elements of racism in these systems.)
Flavell also emphasises the disparities within the health system, saying he was fortunate to access private healthcare and in turn, more appropriate resources. He sympathises with patients living rurally in areas like Tairāwhiti, where those services may not be readily available.
Ainsworth says there is a commitment for the Prostate Cancer Foundation to be a Tiriti partner and to promote awareness among Māori men.
He also says the inequities for tāne Māori in the health system must be addressed.
“For some of them when they get diagnosed, they only get offered one treatment whereas there are two or three things they could be offered.
“To me every man, but particularly our Māori men because we’re not getting it, should be given the whole raft is what is available treatment-wise.”
The pair both encourage other tāne Māori to get tested and start conversations around prostate cancer.
“Because our wāhine are so strong and proactive they put messaging out there. But for whatever reason we haven’t picked up that template and [run] with it,” Ainsworth says.
“It’s about getting men to be just as proactive about their health as our wāhine.”
“Mō te hunga e noho nei i te ngau o tēnei ngārara, [kaua] e waiho kia noho huna - ehara i te kōrero tapu.
“Anei pea te whakamārama māmā - mate, ora - koinei ngā huarahi e rua.”
(For those living with this disease, don’t hide it - it’s not a taboo subject. The easiest explanation - death or life - those are the two paths.)
Ainsworth says if tāne have a history of prostate cancer in their whānau, they should start their checkups at age 40. If there’s no history of the illness, testing should start at age 50.
For more information on Blue September, head to the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ website.
