Warning Issued Over Prostate Cancer 'Surge'

Annual worldwide cases of prostate cancer are projected to double by 2040, according to new research from The Lancet Commission on the disease. However, some countries are expected to see a more dramatic increase than others.

Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States, the American Cancer Society reports. Roughly one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, with nearly 300,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the U.S. alone.

Your risk of developing prostate cancer can vary depending on your age, race, family history, diet and environmental exposure. For example, about six in 10 prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65.

Although survival rates for prostate cancer are fairly high, it can still be a serious disease and is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men in America.

Of course, America is not the only country affected by prostate cancer, and around the world there are roughly 1.4 million new cases diagnosed every year (as of 2020), with an average of 375,000 deaths.

However, according to new research from The Lancet's Commission on prostate cancer, caseloads are expected to rise to 2.9 million cases per year by 2040, with a predicted 700,000 deaths.

Perhaps some of this is unsurprising given our growing population and increasing life expectancy.

"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," Nick James, said in a statement.

James is a professor of prostate and bladder cancer research at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the lead author of the commission.

"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 programs, will help to save lives and prevent ill health from prostate cancer in the years to come."

This will be particularly urgent in low- and middle-income countries, which are expected to bear the brunt of these excess deaths.

"The issue in low- and middle-income countries is that late diagnosis of prostate cancer is the norm. Improved outreach programs are needed to better inform people of the key signs to look out for and what to do next," James N'Dow, a professor and chair in surgery at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, said in a statement.

"Implementing these in tandem with investments in cost-effective early diagnostic systems will be key to preventing deaths from prostate cancer as cases inevitably rise with a global aging population."

Building the capacity to diagnose and treat prostate cancers early in these countries will be essential not only for public health, but also for the social and economic growth of these countries.

"As well as the obvious direct effects on individual men's health, rising numbers of cases and deaths from prostate cancer could have huge economic and social impacts on families in low- and middle-income countries," N'Dow said.

"Men in these countries are very often a family's main breadwinner, so if they die or become seriously ill, this can lead to families facing major economic hardship."

Another key barrier to effective treatment in these countries and within the U.S. is the disparity in education between how this disease presents in White men and people of color.

This is particularly urgent when Black men, especially those of West African descent, are actually more likely to develop prostate cancer than white and Asian men. Therefore, the commission has urged further research into improving the detection and care of prostate cancer patients in these groups.

The analysis will be presented at the European Association of Urology Congress on Saturday, April 6.

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