More than two thirds of men in the UAE are putting themselves at risk of prostate and testicular cancers by not knowing the symptoms of the disease and failing to schedule an annual check-up with their doctor, a new study has revealed.
A survey of 1,000 people living in the UAE, commissioned by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, found that 62 per cent of men did not know or were unsure of the common risk factors for prostate cancer. About 79 per cent said that they did not know how to conduct a testicular cancer self-exam.
Prostate cancer is considered a disease of ageing, which is not the case
More than two thirds admitted they do not schedule annual check-ups with their doctor, with 28 per cent claiming they were too busy and almost a quarter saying they were too afraid.
When sick or in pain, only a third said that they would seek medical advice immediately, while 29 per cent would wait as long as possible to see if they felt better. About 15 per cent said they would look for solutions online.
“Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide, while testicular cancer is the most common malignancy among men 20 to 40 years old. Too many men are unaware of the health risks they face and the actions they should be taking to ensure they have the best quality of life,” said Dr Waleed Hassen, a urologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
He said there was a gap in community awareness about common and curable cancers that affect men.
“One of the challenges that we face is that prostate cancer is considered a disease of ageing, which is not the case, and is also one of the most asymptomatic cancers. So, it is not considered a threat. This means we typically only see patients at a very advanced stage. We encourage men to start scheduling routine check-ups with their urologist from the age of 40 and pay attention to even the slightest change in urination patterns or pain,” he said.
The American Cancer Society recommends discussions surrounding prostate cancer screenings begin at age 50 for men at an average risk.
Patients should consider getting a check-up earlier if they experience symptoms, such as an inability to urinate and pain or blood during urination, or if they are particularly at risk due to their lifestyle or family medical history. Screening includes a clinical exam, a prostate-specific antigen blood test, and a sonogram.
Men with local or regional prostate cancer have a 100 per cent five-year survival rate. Those odds drop to 31 per cent if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
“When it comes to testicular cancer, all men should conduct a monthly self-exam upon reaching puberty to note any changes or lumps as this is important for early detection. This must also be part of a patient’s annual physical exam with their doctor,” said Dr Hassen.
Men surveyed for the study said they were less likely to discuss urological issues with their doctor with less than a third saying they were comfortable doing so in comparison to other health issues.
Two thirds reported a spike in their stress levels due to the Covid-19 pandemic but claimed an overall high level of physical (74 per cent) and mental well-being (71 per cent). About 42 per cent even said that they feel healthier than last year and 39 per cent said that they had not seen a change at all.
“High stress only makes underlying health conditions worse. If people are not scheduling routine check-ups with their doctor, there is no way to fully determine how this may be affecting their physical and mental well-being,” said Dr Hassen.
“Often psychological issues in men can contribute to an increased risk of prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, infertility and urinary incontinence. So, we urge men to talk and share their health concerns and avoid delaying doctor visits.”
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The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
