As prostate cancer cases fall, survival rates rise

CASES of prostate cancer have fallen by just over 4% in recent years, while survival rates have increased significantly, a report by the Irish Cancer Society has said.

The report also revealed that there was a 2% decrease in new cases of cancer among men.

Speaking about the figures, Donal Buggy, head of services and advocacy, said: ‘These are very welcome figures and we hope this trend will continue.

‘We can clearly see the impact prostate cancer has on the national cancer landscape with the decline contributing to a 2% decrease in the overall incidence in male cancers.

‘Furthermore, we saw that over a 20-year period, prostate cancer survival rates have drastically increased. Over nine in ten men are now likely to be alive five years after being diagnosed with this cancer, up from just six in ten men in the 1990s.’

Mr Buggy said that in order to keep the figures of new cases of cancer in men on a downward trajectory, every man over 50 should speak to their GP about prostate cancer.

He added: ‘Men over 50 are more at risk of getting the disease and should be getting their PSA levels checked on a regular basis, even if they don’t have any symptoms, as early prostate cancer often does not have any symptoms at all. Prostate cancer is very treatable but the earlier it is detected, the better. This is why these conversations with GPs are so vital.’

After non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with one in seven men at risk of the disease in their lifetime. There are more than 33,000 men living with and beyond prostate cancer in Ireland, however men with prostate cancer make up 20% of the current cancer population.

Symptoms of prostate cancer may include: a slow flow of urine, trouble starting or stopping the flow, passing urine more often, especially at night, pain when passing urine, blood in the urine and a sensation of not emptying the bladder fully.