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Topics: Cancer, Health, US News, Technology, Netherlands, Europe
Liv Bridge
Topics: Cancer, Health, US News, Technology, Netherlands, Europe
New research shows the risk of prostate cancer increases by 45 percent in men who share one common practice.
According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime and it stands as the second-leading cause of cancer death in men, behind lung cancer.
The disease kills around one in 44 men, though most who are diagnosed do not die from it.
But experts are now warning the risk is heightened for men who do one specific thing.
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Dodging regular prostate cancer screening appointments increases the risk of death by 45 percent, health experts are now warning.
If screenings were introduced on a national scale, especially ones that use a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, it could catch prostate cancer earlier and give men access to the treatment.
According to data from the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), which collated information from seven countries across Europe for the past two decades in the world's largest prostate cancer screening study, the early chance would lead to a better chance of being cured - and prevent costly medical treatments.
The information consistently shows PSA screenings can reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer by 20 percent.
The research spanning the past 20 years shows a link between the decline in people attending prostate screening consultations and men's risk of dying from it.
It exposes a 'stark contrast' in the dire consequences of avoiding screenings.
Scientists from Erasmus MC Cancer Institute at the University Medical Centre in the Netherlands led the analysis which involved 72,460 men.
Around one in six were deemed non-attenders, having missed every single appointment.
This put them at a 45 percent higher risk of dying from prostate cancer compared to those who showed up to their appointments.
Meanwhile, those who attended had a 23 percent lower risk of dying from prostate cancer and non-attenders had a 39 percent higher risk.
Explaining the discrepancy, lead study author, Renée Leenen, M.D., Ph.D., of the cancer institute in the Netherlands, said: "It may be that men who opted not to attend a screening appointment are care avoiders - meaning they’re less likely to engage in healthy behaviors and preventative care in general."
She added: "This is the opposite behavior of people who are perhaps more health-conscious and are more likely to attend a screening appointment."
Dr Leenen also said healthcare professionals need to 'better understand' who the men are and why they choose not to attend appointments.
"This will help us to design population-based prostate cancer screening programmes that encourage higher rates of informed participation. Tackling attendance rates in this way could be a big factor in the long-term success of a national prostate screening programme," she said.
The findings from the study are now scheduled to be presented at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid, Spain.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.