According to a study, prostate cancer cases among men across the globe are projected to double to 2.9 million a year by 2040. The annual death rate is predicted to rise by 85%, reported the Guardian.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of male cancer in more than 100 countries. However, as populations age and life expectancy increases worldwide, a recent analysis predicts a significant increase in both cases and fatalities over the upcoming 15 years.
Projections indicate that diagnoses of prostate cancer will escalate from 1.4 million annually in 2020 to 2.9 million by 2040, equating to approximately 330 men receiving such news every hour.
Over the next two decades, global deaths from prostate cancer are anticipated to surge by 85%, from 375,000 in 2020 to nearly 700,000 by 2040. Experts caution that the actual death toll may be higher due to underdiagnosis and incomplete data in low- and middle-income nations.
These revelations were disclosed in The Lancet as part of its significant commission on prostate cancer and are slated for presentation at the European Association of Urology’s annual congress in Paris this Saturday.
The increasing number of older men due to aging populations and longer life expectancy globally is leading to more cases of prostate cancer. Since the main risk factors, like being over 50 and having a family history of the disease, cannot be avoided, experts believe that relying only on lifestyle changes or public health efforts won’t be enough to stop the increase in cases.
“As more and more men around the world live to middle and old age, there will be an inevitable rise in the number of prostate cancer cases,” said Prof Nick James, the lead author of the study.
“We know this surge in cases is coming, so we need to start planning and take action now.”
“Evidence-based interventions, such as improved early detection and education programmes, will help to save lives and prevent ill health from prostate cancer in the years to come,” added James, a professor of prostate cancer research at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and a consultant clinical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust.
Signs of prostate cancer may manifest as increased frequency of urination, especially at night; urgency to urinate; trouble initiating urination; sensation of incomplete bladder emptying; and presence of blood in urine or semen.
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