There are more than 5,000 cases of prostate cancer every year in Portugal. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in men.
Share the post “Prostate cancer: 8 out of 10 men develop the disease”
At the World Prostate Cancer Day17 November, the Portuguese Association of Prostate Patients (APDP) makes an appeal to the Portuguese: “grow a mustache not cancer🇧🇷
This is the motto of the new awareness campaign, Movember, which aims to make the general population aware of men’s health problems, such as prostate cancer.
Every year, in Portugal alone, between 5 and 6 thousand new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed.
Prostate cancer acts in silence
Prostate cancer is one of the main concerns when it comes to men’s health and during the blue month APDP mobilizes to alert the Portuguese about the matter.
One of the major problems surrounding the disease has to do with its characteristic of acting silently, which is why everyone is called upon to take preventive action, which is only possible by carrying out periodic consultations and examinations, advised by doctors. .
Screening is recommended for all men aged 50 and over. If there is a family history, the doctor will define when to start regular observation.
In most prostate cancer diagnoses, it is observed that patients do not signal any symptoms during tumor progression and that it is only in diagnostic tests that the case can be identified.
Symptoms, when they occur, are associated with more advanced stages of the disease, or when the tumor has already metastasized. They are: difficulty and/or urgency in urinating; painful urination; pain or discomfort in the prostate region; in some cases, erectile dysfunction may occur – but this is an even less common symptom.
Risk advances with age
In addition to being silent, prostate cancer has the particularity of being more frequent over the years – the probability of suffering from the disease increases with age and more than 80% of men will suffer from this type of neoplasm by the age of 80.
Men aged over 50, with a family history of the disease and black ethnicity are at increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
Testosterone levels also have an impact on the appearance of this pathology, as this is the hormone responsible for the degeneration/multiplication of prostate cells. Diets that are too high in protein or rich in fat, as well as obesity, are other risk factors associated with prostate cancer. Men with greater exposure to toxic products – for reasons of work – for example – are also more susceptible to the development of this type of tumor.
Associated mortality
Prostate tumor is assumed to be the second leading cause of cancer mortality in men. Every year, about 1,800 patients die from complications of the disease.
José Graça, Vice-President of APDP, draws attention to the prejudice associated with urology consultations – a specialty that deals with prostate health -, which is one of the main reasons for the low rate of early diagnosis.
Prejudice with screening
The data we have on the incidence of prostate cancer in Portugal are worrying, but what makes us even more alarmed is that this is a cancer with a lot of associated taboo, which sometimes ends up leading to a late screening of the disease.
José Graça, Vice President of APDP
At APDP, the mission and challenge on this 17th of November are the same as every day of the year: to work to demystify the issue of male screening for prostate diseases and remember its importance to reduce the numbers of mortality from prostate cancer🇧🇷
For men, especially those over 45 years of age, there is a message to take care of the prostate regularly. Visit your doctor and follow the prescribed guidelines.
