Prostate cancer risk increases by 45 per cent among men who share one troubling behaviour
Research conducted by seven European nations has yielded troubling findings for some men, in the world’s largest prostate cancer screening study.
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Researchers are warning that men who regularly dodge prostate cancer screening appointments are 45 per cent more likely to die from the disease.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths, according to UC San Francisco (UCSF).
But if screening programs are introduced on a national scale — particularly those that measure levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood — they could give men earlier access to treatment, experts say.
(Australia does not have a national, population-based screening program for prostate cancer, but individual testing occurs, and men are encouraged to discuss the risks and benefits of PSA testing with their doctor.)
They would thus have a better chance of being cured, according to reporting by news agency SWNS and others.
Screening can also prevent costly treatments associated with advanced prostate cancer.
That’s according to data from the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).
The study collects information from seven European nations: Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and Spain.
It is said to be the world’s largest prostate cancer screening study, said SWNS.
Long-term data from this entity consistently shows that PSA screening programs can lead to a 20 per cent reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer.
‘STARK CONTRAST’
Now, an analysis of 20-year follow-up data from the ERSPC is the first to look at the link between the consistent decline of screening invitations and men’s risk of dying from this type of cancer.
It reveals a “stark contrast” that emphasises the potential consequences of screening avoidance.
Researchers from Erasmus MC Cancer Institute at the University Medical Centre in the Netherlands led the analysis, said SWNS.
Of the 72,460 men invited to partake in the screenings, around one in six were non-attenders and skipped every single appointment.
That group had a 45 per cent higher risk of dying from prostate cancer compared with those who attended screening appointments, according to the findings.
When comparing outcomes with the control group – men who were never invited to have screenings – those who attended the screening appointments had a 23 per cent lower risk of dying from prostate cancer, while non-attenders faced a 39 per cent higher risk, SWNS reported.
‘CARE AVOIDERS’
Lead study author Renée Leenen, M.D., Ph.D., said the choice not to participate in screening may be driven by a complex collection of factors.
Said Leenen, who is with the Erasmus CM Cancer Institute in the Netherlands, “It may be that men who opted not to attend a screening appointment are care avoiders — meaning they’re less likely to engage in healthy behaviours and preventive care in general.”
She added, “This is the opposite behaviour of people who are perhaps more health-conscious and are more likely to attend a screening appointment … Our study identifies that men who were invited for screening, but do not attend screening appointments, are at a significantly higher risk of dying from prostate cancer compared to men who were not offered screening or accepted an invitation for screening.”
Dr Leenen said that experts “need to better understand who these men are, why they choose not to attend appointments and how to motivate them.”
Doing so, she added, “will help us design population-based prostate cancer screening programs that encourage higher rates of informed participation … Tackling attendance rates in this way could be a big factor in the long-term success of a national prostate screening program,” SWNS reported.
Urologist Tobias Nordström, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said, “We need to better understand why these men might actively choose not to participate in screening, despite being invited to attend, and how this behaviour is linked to worse outcomes when they get a diagnosis.”
The findings from the study are scheduled to be presented this weekend at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid, Spain, said SWNS.
Fox News’ senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel, who was not involved in the new study on prostate cancer risks, previously called out the need for regular medical screenings.
Siegel has emphasised the need to “diagnose it early for better outcomes.”
This article first appeared in the New York Post with reporting from Fox News.
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Originally published as Prostate cancer risk increases by 45 per cent among men who share one troubling behaviour
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