Renowned cancer researchers have raised alarm over the way red meat is cooked in Africa, warning that common local methods of charring and overcooking could be fuelling the high burden of advanced prostate cancer among African men.

The experts at the ongoing Science of Advanced Prostate Cancer (SoAPCA) Conference in Lagos also lamented that the majority of prostate cancer cases in Nigeria and across Africa are only diagnosed at very advanced stages, making them deadlier and harder to treat.

The experts maintained that the crisis will not be solved unless Africa builds its own inclusive, culturally responsive clinical trial system.

Addressing journalists at the Science of Advanced Prostate Cancer in Africa Conference in Lagos, Prof. Folakemi Odedina, Professor of Haematology and Oncology at the Mayo Clinic, Florida, said carcinogenic toxins are released when meat is cooked until burnt, a common preference in Nigeria and across the continent.

“It is not necessarily the red meat itself, but the way we cook it.

“In Nigeria and across Africa, we like our meat very dry, very burnt, and very charred. Unfortunately, that process releases chemicals that research has linked directly to prostate cancer. Maybe we should relax on the way we cook our meat a little bit.

Odedina, founder of the Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium (CaPTC), said both genetics and lifestyle make African men especially vulnerable yet research into African populations remains scarce. She called for greater participation in clinical trials, warning that most treatments are tested elsewhere and simply imported to Africa.

“The tragedy is that most prostate cancer cases we see in Africa are already at a very advanced stage,” she said.

“That is why we are focusing on clinical trials because without African participation, drugs are being designed elsewhere and we just hope they work for us.”

On her part, Professor of Radiology and Co-Chair of the African Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC), Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, said Africa must urgently tackle systemic gaps in clinical research.

“Africa bears around a quarter of the world’s disease burden, yet less than 4 percent of global clinical trials take place here,” Okoye said.

“This underrepresentation is not only inequitable it leaves us with major gaps in evidence for treatments in our own populations.”

Okoye outlined strategies to make trials more accessible, including decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) that bring research closer to communities through local clinics, telemedicine, and mobile health workers.

“Imagine a trial where initial consent is given at a regional clinic, follow-ups happen by telehealth, and medicines are dispensed at local pharmacies.

“If we bring research closer to our people, we can ensure African men benefit from new therapies as they emerge,” Okoye explained.

The researchers agreed that Africa’s prostate cancer crisis requires a twin approach: reducing lifestyle risks such as burnt meat consumption, while simultaneously embedding culturally responsive trials into African health systems.

The conference which was the first in Africa was dedicated to advanced prostate cancer and brought together clinicians, researchers, survivors, and policymakers under the theme “Addressing Advanced Prostate Cancer in Africa Through Inclusive Clinical Trials.”

Okoye charged the delegates stating that: “Behind every data point is a life. If we want equity, our men must not only be patients they must be participants in the science that shapes their care.” (Vanguard)

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