Prostate Cancer Causes Over 7,000 Annual Deaths in Mexico

Each year over 7,000 men die from prostate cancer in Mexico. This disease is the most common type of cancer among men after skin cancer but early diagnosis increases the possibilities for successful treatment. Each Nov. 30, Mexico observes the National Day Against Prostate Cancer to raise awareness and diagnose the disease in its early stages. 

“In Mexico, prostate cancer is the deadliest type of cancer among men as there are 9.8 deaths per 100,000 men. The same behavior is observed in Latin America, which as a region registers 413,000 new cases and 85,000 deaths each year,” says PROFECO.

In Latin America, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men and the fifth cause of death linked to cancer, according to the IADB. Mexico registers 25,000 cases per year, said Abelardo Meneses, Director General, INCan, to MBN. Unfortunately, 70 percent of cases are detected in advanced stages as it does not usually present symptoms until the prostate is large enough to affect the urethra, according to NHS.

“While some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or even no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly,” says Mayo Clinic. Over 95 percent of prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas, which start in the gland cells of the prostate. The other 5 percent include small-cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, transitional cell cancers, neuroendocrine tumors and soft tissue sarcoma, as reported by WebMD.

To detect any type of tumor on time, it is important for men to undergo an annual examination and a screening test to determine prostate coagulation in blood from the age of 50. By doing both procedures, men have a higher probability of detecting a tumor if there is one. Doing only one of these studies is often not enough because some tumors may not raise the level of prostate antigen but can be detected through a rectal examination. 

In Mexico, there is a need to update and design effective diagnosis and treatment campaigns, especially in locations where the burden of the disease is the highest such as Guerrero, which reported the highest mortality rate in 2019.

“Prevention is vital to detect diseases and avoid them or to discover them in time and thus stop them from becoming chronic, causing suffering for the rest of one’s life or even causing a premature death. This is part of the culture of healthcare,” says PROFECO regarding prostate cancer.