By 2040, annual cases of prostate cancer in the world will double from the current 1.4 million to 2.9 million. At the same time, deaths will increase by 85%, reaching 400 thousand from 375 thousand today. These are the data that emerge from a report published in The Lancet which underlines the need “to develop strategies to manage this phenomenon” and provides recommendations to mitigate the impact of the neoplasm. Prostate cancer represents 15% of cancer diagnoses and is the most common neoplasm in males in over 100 countries around the world. “The burden of disease at a global level is already considerable”, explains the ‘Lancet Commission on prostate cancer’, but it is destined to increase further.
“Increasing life expectancy in low- and middle-income countries will drive large increases in prostate cancer, and cases are also expected to increase in high-income countries,” he adds. What is especially worrying is the late diagnosis, which “is widespread throughout the world, but especially in low- and middle-income countries it is the norm”. There is no shortage of tools for early diagnosis, however they are not widespread in low-income countries, while in rich ones they risk being used inappropriately: “prostate cancer screening with the Psa test can lead to an excessive number of unnecessary testing and treatment in older men and insufficient testing in younger, but high-risk men,” the report explains.
“We know this surge in cases is coming, so we need to start planning and acting now,” lead signatory Nicholas James said in a statement. “Evidence-based interventions, such as improved early diagnosis and educational programs, will help save lives and prevent disease from prostate cancer in the years to come.”
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