Pandemic reduces prostate cancer diagnoses by 54% in Brazil

The pandemic reduced the number of prostate cancer diagnoses in Brazil by more than half. Until September of this year, there was a 54% drop in the detection of new cases compared to the same period in 2019 – 31,850 against 17,212, according to data from DataSUS analyzed by urologist Leonardo Borges, from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.

This number is worrying, according to the expert, since 65,000 new cases of prostate cancer are expected per year, according to estimates by the National Cancer Institute (Inca). Early diagnosis is essential to increase the chance of cure, which reaches 90%.

“This impact, by all indications, was a global phenomenon”, says Borges. A study carried out in the Netherlands, with statistics from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR), showed a 17% drop in the number of diagnoses in the country during the first wave of the pandemic and a close association with measures of lockdown🇧🇷

In England, there was a 48.3% reduction (6,247 against 12,066) in diagnoses during the first period of isolation due to the coronavirus, between March 23 and July 4, 2020. Although the detection of the disease increased after the decrease of restrictions in subsequent years, the overall reduction during the first pandemic years was 30.8% (22,419 against 32,409).

Prostate cancer treatment was also impacted. The number of prostatectomies in Brazil fell by 25% from 2019 to 2020 — from 80,775 to 59,438 procedures.

“When comparing surgeries between 2019 and 2021 in Brazil, the reduction is 17%, more discreet, but still present”, informs Borges. In England, the drop in operations was 26.9% between March and December 2020.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been speculation about the impact that the health system would suffer as a result of the demand for care from Covid-19 cases. private, affecting the treatment of other diseases in this period”, observes the specialist.

One of the most common cancers among men

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, second only to non-melanoma skin cancer. As it does not usually show symptoms in the initial phase, the Brazilian Society of Urology recommends annual screening for all men over 50 years of age.

In addition, patients who have risk factors, such as a family history, should start monitoring 5 years earlier, at age 45. The check-up includes digital rectal exams and PSA dosage, a blood protein capable of detecting the tumor. In the face of a suspicious result, a prostate biopsy is performed.

“As much as this cancer may be little aggressive and grow slowly, the inequality of access to health in the country means that around 20% of cases are diagnosed in advanced stages, which contributes to the increase in mortality”, says Borges.

Treatment varies according to the type of tumor, stage and patient profile. Some can only be monitored with periodic exams. Currently, new surgical techniques greatly reduce the chance of further complications such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction problems.