Following the diagnosis of Xolani Gwala, ZAlebs have started to open their hearts a little more to those battling with cancer. Celebrities like Johnny Clegg, Zoleka Mandela and Lillian Dube and Hugh Masekela are still battling the disease even today.
- You might also like to read: South African celebs diagnosed with cancer
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During an in-studio interview with fellow presenter Stephen Grootes , Gwala made the announcement that he has advanced stage colon cancer.
He has already undergone an operation to remove a tumour in his colon, but revealed that there is more treatment to come, including chemotherapy and a possible surgery at a later stage depending on how everything goes. This is because the disease has spread to his liver.
- You might also like to read: Messages of support pour in for 702's Xolani Gwala
One of the reasons people often don't know that they have cancer is their lack of education on the disease. We often don't know the symptoms or don't understand the risk factors. A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, like smoking, can be changed. Others, like a person’s age or family history, can’t be changed. Having a risk factor however, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. Many people with one or more risk factors never get cancer, while others who get cancer may have had few or no known risk factors.
- You might also like to read: Rethink Breast Cancer presents: Your Man Reminder
According to the Cansa Association Of South Africa (CANSA), one in six South African men and one in seven South African women will get cancer during their lifetime. Cancer can strike anyone at any time. And yet, if one takes a look at South African statistics, age, race, gender and socio-economic status play an important part in determining the prevalence of particular cancers.
This October, Zalebs looks a little deeper than breast cancer, we also look at the types of cancers that men can get. The cancers affecting all South African men, in order of prevalence, are:
Prostate Cancer
Lung cancer
Oesophageal cancer
Bladder cancer
Colo-rectal cancer
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You might also like to read: South African celebs diagnosed with cancer
Ringo Madlingozi took to Instagram to urge men to get tested for cancer because the disease is real. The chances of beating cancer are higher if diagnosed earlier before it spreads and also because at it's earlier stages, the cancer is at it's weakest.
Not only men, but women also, listen to Ringo and go get tested. The sooner you know, the better your chances of beating this slow killer.
Image credit: Instagram.com/@ringomadlingozi