Remedying the information deficit is an important first step in tackling prostate cancer, writes Gay Mitchell.
Surveys carried out by the World Health Organisation in 38 European countries in 2000 show that the incidence of cancer in Ireland is one of the highest, at just over 578 people per 100,000, in third place behind Denmark and the Czech Republic. By contrast the rate in Cyprus is 241 per 100,000, and 197 per 100,000 in Romania.
Having lost my father at the age I am now, and two brothers and a sister at an average age of 49 to cancer, I understand the impact the diagnosis of cancer can have on a whole family. That is why I was pleased to chair a discussion on prostate health in the European Parliament.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men and is the third most common cancer killer after lung and colorectal cancer. It affects one in every six men. As the population of Europe ages the threat of this disease becomes even more serious. By 2025 there is expected to be a 22 per cent increase in men over 65.
Even before any increase in the number of men over 65 the statistics regarding prostate cancer are staggering. Currently in Europe there are 237,000 new cases each year and 85,200 men die. An American study by the Prostate Cancer Foundation has found that although only one in 10,000 under the age of 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to one in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and one in 14 for ages 60 to 69. While more than 65 per cent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65, the chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer are doubled when a relative has been diagnosed with the disease. The risk is highest for men who have had relatives diagnosed before the age of 65.
A recent study by the Irish Cancer Society found that the incidence and death rates from prostate cancer are higher in Ireland than in England, Scotland and Wales. In contrast, the incidence and death rates of lung cancer are lower in Ireland than in the UK. By reducing incidence and death rates from various cancers to the levels found in the areas of lowest incidence in the UK and Ireland, research has found that it should be possible to prevent about 25,600 cases and 17,500 cancer deaths each year in the UK and Ireland, according to the report.
For men diagnosed with prostate cancer the outlook is not necessarily grim. Due to the fact that about 90 per cent of all prostate cancers are detected in the local and regional stages, the cure rate for prostate cancer is very high - nearly 100 per cent of men diagnosed at this stage will be disease-free after five years.
By contrast, in the 1970s, only 67 per cent of men diagnosed with local or regional prostate cancer were disease-free after five years. Like all forms of cancer, early detection is the key to a higher success rate.
There are several means by which men can combat the development of prostate cancer. For example, knowing the family history of the disease will assist your medical practitioner.
Another is diet. Prof Louis Denis, director of the Oncology Centre, Antwerp, states that western diet is a causal factor. Mediterranean diet is best and two glasses of red wine, taken occasionally, can be beneficial. Researchers at Harvard have found that men who ate tomatoes, or tomato-based food, more than twice a week were less likely to develop prostate cancer. Along with tomatoes it is recommended that men eat other fruits and vegetables. It is also essential that men have regular medical check-ups so that any signs of prostate cancer can be identified at the earliest stage possible.
While much progress has been made, such as the launch by the American Prostate Cancer Foundation of a blue wrist band to highlight the issue, there is still an enormous information deficit.
A Google search for breast cancer will generate some two million hits, but the same search for prostate cancer will throw-up about half a million hits. Men must become more informed about prostate health; we must speak more openly about it and become advocates for change. I will hold a public meeting in Dublin on this topic tomorrow.
Gay Mitchellis Fine Gael MEP for Dublin. The public meeting will take place tomorrow on the European Parliament office in Molesworth Street from 11am to 1pm. For further information call 01 618 3727.