Understanding and Preventing Prostate Cancer: Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

2023-08-02 22:36:36

According to data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), prostate cancer is one of the most common oncological diagnoses among men, representing 8.6% of all cases identified in the Americas region. .

It also has a high mortality rate because it is estimated that it causes the death of up to 14.6% of the men who suffer from it.

To this extent, it is essential that patients take into account some information that can facilitate timely diagnosis, which is one of the keys to improving prognoses. Among other things, identifying the factors that increase the risk of suffering from these types of tumors and the symptoms they cause can be very useful.

In all, the American Cancer Society lists five things that can increase a man’s chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Perhaps one of the most common is age.

“It is rare for prostate cancer to affect men under the age of 40, but the chance of developing prostate cancer increases rapidly following the age of 50. Around 6 out of 10 cases of prostate cancer are detected in men older than 65 years of age”, maintains the non-profit organization.

Likewise, it points out that race and ethnic group are also a factor that must be taken into account, since it affects Afro-descendant men and patients from the Caribbean more frequently.

Prostate cancer is more common in Afro-descendant men. | Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

“When it develops in these men, they tend to be younger. Prostate cancer occurs less frequently in Eastern American and Hispanic/Latino men than in non-Hispanic white men. The reasons for these racial and ethnic differences are not clear,” adds the American Cancer Society.

On the other hand, this medical source indicates that it is a less frequent condition in some countries. For example, its diagnosis is less common in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, while it is more likely to be found in the Caribbean islands, northwestern Europe, North America and Australia.

Prostate cancer can be detected early if you go to the doctor regularly for examination following 50-60 years. | Photo: Getty

Although he points out that the reasons for this phenomenon are not clear, he explains that it might be associated with the fact that more tests are carried out in some countries than in others. It may also be associated with eating habits.

In turn, it refers to family factors. “It seems that prostate cancer runs more in some families, which suggests that in some cases there may be a hereditary or genetic factor. Even so, most prostate cancers occur in men who do not have a family history of this cancer,” notes the American Cancer Society.

Finally, he points out that some inherited genetic changes might also enter the equation, although he indicates that it might be a factor with a lower incidence. Specifically, he cites the cases of men who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which are also associated with the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in some families.

Prostate cancer can be diagnosed early if risk factors and symptoms are present. | Photo: Bayer SA

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that people with this disease may report difficulty starting to urinate, a weak or interrupted stream of urine, a need to frequent urination that intensifies at night, problems emptying the bladder completely, blood in the urine or semen, and pain when urinating or ejaculating.

It is worth saying that these symptoms may correspond to other conditions that affect the urinary tract, for which it is essential to go to a medical consultation to obtain a proper diagnosis.

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