No symptoms in 80pc of new prostate cancer cases
FOUR out of five Irishmen with prostate cancer showed no symptoms when they were diagnosed with the disease, according to new research.
The research, funded by health charity The Movember Foundation, looked at 4,800 patients who were diagnosed in 2016 and 2017.
The study, carried out by the Irish Prostate Cancer Outcomes Research (IPCOR) group, calls on men to speak to their doctor about their prostate health.
This is especially true for those over the age of 45.
The report also found that one in five men diagnosed with prostate cancer is under the age of 60, which conflicts with general perceptions that the disease affects men of an older age, further highlighting the importance of men receiving regular health checks.
Two thirds of patients were registered as being under 70, and two out of five under 65.
The study also found significant differences in waiting times for diagnosis between the public and private health systems.
MRI imaging is considered important in performing an accurate biopsy.
But patients in private hospitals were three times more likely to access an MRI scan before their biopsy, which improves diagnosis and may reduce the need for more investigations.
Dr David Galvin, IPCOR Principal Investigator and consultant urologist, said: “The report’s findings show how important it is for men to have a conversation with their doctor about their prostate health.
“Generally, prostate cancer only causes symptoms when it becomes advanced. The best chance we have to treat and cure the disease is to catch the cancer early, before symptoms develop.”
Meanwhile, a separate report shows the benefits of the economic
recovery have yet to trickle down to many deprived areas and improve the mental health of the least well-off.
A new report on Tallaght has found 66pc of people in deprived housing estates experienced stress over the past 12 months.
This compared to 55pc in the better-off estates.
The report ‘Physical and Mental Health in Post-Recession Ireland: A Community Study from Tallaght, Dublin’ was commissioned by the Meath Foundation and presented at the annual Meath Research Symposium at Tallaght Hospital.