National Prostate Cancer Awareness Day

Prostate cancer is statistically detected in one in seven men. Among all male cancers, it stands out as having the highest rate of increase in incidence with a concomitant increase in mortality. In Poland, the 5-year survival rate of patients with prostate cancer is significantly lower than in Western European countries (67 percent of patients versus 83 percent in EU countries).

- " I have the impression that we men are even less disciplined than the ladies, who, however, go for preventive examinations more often and keep an eye on their health more often ," said at the opening of the "Father and Son" exhibition, Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee, MP Tomasz Latos. - We, to a greater extent, neglect it, and what we are talking about today, which is mainly prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, it is usually the case that we get down to examination and treatment when there are already symptoms. And it should be done much earlier if we were more disciplined and more mindful of prevention.

Prevention and early diagnosis key to successful treatment

Every man should have his prostate examined regularly. Although it is still an embarrassing topic for many men because of the per rectum (through the rectum ) examination necessary for diagnosis, it remains indispensable for the primary prevention of prostate diseases. It should be performed by every man, after the age of 40.

- Unfortunately, it is only after a man loses his health that he begins to think about what he has messed up so badly that it has happened," said the hero of the exhibition, Miroslaw Czechowski, representing the Gladiator Association of Men with Prostate Diseases. - I am an example of such negligence. I contracted prostate cancer 15 years ago, and today I know how important it is to observe one's body and not ignore symptoms that should worry us.

Diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer

An important diagnostic factor is a blood test that determines PSA (specific steroidal antigen) levels. However, it should be remembered that abnormal results do not necessarily indicate cancer. In diagnostic tests, we can also find elevated PSA levels during a very common condition - benign prostatic hyperplasia (LPP). It gives similar symptoms to those that characterize prostate cancer: urinary disturbances, a feeling of distension or back pain. Benign prostatic hyperplasia occurs as a result of hormonal imbalances, in men over the age of 45. It is estimated that the disease affects about 30 percent of 50-year-old men, 50 percent of 65-year-old men and 70 percent of men in their 80s. There are no known ways to prevent steroid hypertrophy. It is important not to underestimate the initial symptoms of the disease to avoid serious complications.

Thanks to the tremendous advances that have been made in medicine, prostate cancer patients have gained many new treatment options. Current solutions include both drug therapies and modern medical devices. According to estimates, about 20-25 percent of men with LPP require surgical intervention. It is possible in a non-invasive manner and provides the highest possible quality of life after the procedure, which can take as little as 15 minutes, without the need for general anesthesia.

The management of cancer confined to an organ is radical local treatment or active observation. The doctor and patient choose the right path, which can be:

• Prostatectomy - surgical removal of the prostate, including through robotic surgery
• Radical radiotherapy with or without hormone therapy
• hormone therapy
• Active observation (applies to low-risk cancers)

Patients with metastatic form may be treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or other therapeutic options: new generation hormonal drugs, molecularly targeted treatment (affecting molecular pathways that determine cancer growth) radiopharmaceuticals, immunotherapy (mobilizing the immune system to destroy the cancer). A diagnosis of prostate cancer makes it possible to be included in the drug program Treatment of Prostate Cancer Patients (B.56). The program introduced by the Ministry of Health provides access to a number of drugs, but doctors and patients are waiting for further development of the program's provisions by bringing it closer to international guidelines (among other things, in terms of exclusion criteria) and ensuring access to all relevant therapeutic options at different stages of the disease, thus providing the opportunity to personalize treatment.

- In terms of access to treatment, we unfortunately still have to envy our colleagues in Western Europe. (...) We are also a bit of an outlier when it comes to securing medical devices that avoid side effects associated with, for example, radiation," added Piotr Fonrobert, vice president of the Polish Coalition of Oncology Patients.

Education never enough

Prostate cancer is common, but in patients who are detected at an early stage, the chances of a cure with current medical capabilities are very high. However, it is necessary to remember to have regular checkups, to remind sons, brothers, fathers and grandfathers to take care of their health not only on holidays.

This is what the exhibition opened on June 14 at the Polish Parliament, entitled "Father and Son," which illustrates intergenerational relations and shows how fathers and sons can take care of each other's health and support each other in the fight against illness, should it occur.

- This is a very important relationship, especially on health issues, because health is the most precious gift," said MP Barbara Dziuk, chairwoman of the Standing Subcommittee on Oncology , the initiator of the exhibition, at the opening. - I bow to all those who want to change reality, who are able to fight themselves and yet encourage others to fight. Only by acting together can we develop a strategy that will contribute to improving the health of Poles, in this case Polish men.

Source: press mat.