Prostate Overtakes Breast Cancer; Are We Equally Concerned For The Male Gender?

Prostate Cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed cancer in England, overtaking breast cancer for the first time. According to the recent data published by Public Health England (PHE), there were nearly 50,000 diagnoses of prostate cancer in 2018, around 8,000 more than the previous year.

This means the disease has overtaken breast cancer as the most commonly diagnosed – a decade earlier than experts had predicted.

As per 2018 report,

316,680 newly diagnosed cases of all cancers were reported, including 49,029 cases prostate cancer
Followed by 47,476 cases of breast cancer
There were 7,828 more diagnoses of prostate cancer in 2018 than the previous year
The next most commonly diagnosed were lung and bowel cancers

Public Health England said the number increased mainly because of the “Fry and Turnbull effect,” referring to British actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry and journalist and former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull, who both went public in early 2018 with prostate cancer diagnoses, encouraging more people to get tested.

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Roger Wotton, chairman of Tackle Prostate Cancer, stated:

This is a wake-up call for men and for the health service. Women have screening for breast cancer and this is one reason why mortality rates for prostate cancer are now higher than those for breast cancer. We need to get the prostate cancer mortality figures down, particularly as one third of men diagnosed already have advanced prostate cancer. We need earlier diagnosis and a better-informed testing regime.

voiceformenindia.com — Prostate Overtakes Breast Cancer (Image Courtesy: BBC)

However, despite the rise, the overall picture seems positive if you compared it to 10, 20 years ago. The survival rates today are generally getting better, that is certainly the case for both prostate and breast cancer.

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NHS clinical director for cancer Professor Peter Johnson said:

As people live longer, we’re likely to see prostate cancer diagnosed more often, and with well-known figures like Rod Stewart, Stephen Fry and Bill Turnbull all talking openly about their diagnosis, more people will be aware of the risk.

The NHS Long Term Plan is ramping up action to catch tens of thousands more cancers at early stages, and more people coming forward for checks and care means the disease increasingly is detected at an early stage, when treatment is most successful and survival chances are highest.

What is Prostrate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men after skin cancer. Risk factors include age, family history, ethnicity, and diet. Prostate cancer is diagnosed by digital rectal exam, prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, and prostate biopsy. Symptoms may include frequent need to urinate, incontinence, pain, blood in the urine, fatigue, and more. Prognosis and treatment depend on cancer staging.