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Prostaatkanker richting nummer 1 in Engeland.*
Prostaatkanker wordt in Engeland binnen nu en 3 jaar de meest voorkomende kanker bij mannen. Het aantal gevallen is in de laatste 20 jaar verdubbeld. Zaak is voor iedere man ouder dan 50 om je regelmatig te laten testen.
Prostate cancer is on course to become the most common men's cancer in Britain in the next 3 years, health experts said on Monday. Cases of the disease have doubled in the past 20 years and scientists predict the numbers will continue to rise as the population ages and more men are tested for the illness. "The incidence of prostate cancer in this country has increased more rapidly than we had expected," Professor Colin Cooper told a news conference. The head of Britain's first dedicated male cancer research unit at The Institute of Cancer Research described the disease as an enigma. Although more men are being diagnosed with the disease, fewer are dying from it. Up to two-thirds of men with the illness may also not need treatment, which can cause side effects such as impotence and incontinence, but scientists do not know enough about the disease to determine whether or not a patient has an aggressive cancer. "What this means in reality is that many men could receive treatment who may not need it. On the other hand, if prostate cancer is not detected early by PSA testing, some men will have developed advanced, incurable disease," according to Dr. David Dearnaley, a male cancer expert at the institute. TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST More men are being diagnosed with the disease because the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test can detect the early signs. The test is widely available in the United States and in Britain men over 50 years old can have it on request. Most cases of the disease are diagnosed in men in their 70s. Around 22,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in Britain each year and 9,500 men die of the disease annually. Most fatal cases are not detected until the disease is advanced. As an alternative to surgery or radiation, doctors at the institute have started a trial of an Active Surveillance programme, which monitors the disease through tests and biopsies. "If there are signs of progression, the man can proceed to either surgery or radiotherapy," said Dr. Chris Parker, who is involved in the trial. A similar study by Canadian researchers showed that less than one quarter of the men in the programme required treatment. Scientists are also measuring oxygen levels in tumours to detect the most serious cases of the disease. Cancers with lower oxygen levels are thought to be more likely to spread. (mei 2002)