[ad_1]
WASHINGTON – Mortality rates for prostate cancer – the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men – have stabilized or declined in dozens of countries since the turn of the century, reported Tuesday the American Cancer Society.
According to a study, deaths from prostate cancer were down in 14 countries studied and stable in 54 more since the beginning of the century
In 33 out of 44 countries, the incidence of prostate cancer had stabilized in the last five years for which data were available – and in seven countries it was down, the report says.
Only four of the countries studied, including Bulgaria, had an increased incidence of prostate cancer, he added.
"In the last five years of data reviewed, the incidence of prostate cancer and death rates have decreased or stabilized in most parts of the world," said the author of the report. Study, MaryBeth Freeman.
Deaths from prostate cancer were down in 14 countries studied and stable in 54 countries. According to the results of the study, presented at a conference in Atlanta, only three countries experienced an increase in the number of prostate cancer deaths.
The United States has recorded the largest decline in prostate cancers, which Freeman attributed to the decrease in the use of a controversial diagnostic test that has helped identify too many tumors not dangerous.
The incidence of prostate cancer increased in the United States during the 1980s and early 1990s, when the blood test PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, became widely available.
The test, however, is imprecise and gives too many false positives. It identifies higher than normal levels of PSA, a protein produced by the prostate, which could be a sign of cancer but is most often a symptom of other diseases.
In addition, some prostate cancers are not aggressive and do not grow sufficiently to pose a risk.
On the other hand, a false positive can have adverse consequences for the patient: anxiety, complications related to biopsies or anticancer treatments.
In 2012, the US Task Force on Preventive Services, a group of experts charged with examining the effectiveness of preventive clinical services, advised against the use of the PSA test.
In 2018, he revised the recommendation stating that the test should be an "individual" decision for men 55 to 69 years old. At age 70 and over, he advised against its use.
[ad_2]
Source link
