New cases of prostate cancer will double by 2040, study warns

“According to our findings, the annual number of new cases will double from 1.4 million in 2020 to 2.9 million in 2040.” A study published in the medical journal The Lancet, Friday April 5, estimates that prostate cancers will increase significantly worldwide in the years to come. A trend that the authors explain by “the increase in life expectancy and changes in the age pyramids”.

Prostate cancer, which is the most common in men, represents 15% of all cancers. It appears after the age of 50 in most cases, and its frequency increases sharply the further one advances in age beyond this threshold.

Diagnosis, the main axis of progression

A large number of poor or developing countries are in the process of partially catching up with their life expectancy gap compared to rich countries, which should automatically increase the number of prostate cancers, scientists estimate. hypothesis where the treatments would not experience any significant evolution.

This resurgence “cannot be prevented by lifestyle changes or public health interventions”warns this study. “Governments must prepare strategies to deal with it”.

However, to limit this increase, the authors advocate earlier diagnosis. In the “middle or low income countries”, prostate cancers are often detected too late to act effectively, underlines the study. The authors, however, warn of the risk of “overdiagnosis and overtreatment” in developed countries.