Prostate Cancer: The Silent Disease That Will Affect One in Eight Men from Malaga

One in every eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to estimates by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), a disease for which 1,222 cases were detected in Malaga in 2024, almost 3% more than in 2023. It is the third most diagnosed cancer in the province after lung and breast cancer.

In any case, as with many other diseases, the key to beating it is early diagnosis. "Prostate cancer does not show symptoms in its initial stages, and therefore it is essential to undergo periodic checks. A simple test can save your life," explains Dr. Fernando Gómez Sancha, director of the Advanced Urological Surgery Institute (ICUA). In Spain, it is the most diagnosed tumor among men and the fourth in number of cases in the country, as well as the third leading cause of death. In 2025, more than 32,000 new cases will be detected.

November is dedicated to the movement known as 'Movember', a contraction of the English terms 'Moustache' and 'November', to raise awareness about male health.

Prevention

"Although there is no mass screening in the population, as there is with breast, colon, and cervical cancers, we do perform what is called early diagnosis: we advise patients to visit their family doctor or a specialist for urological check-ups starting at age 50," explains Bernardo Herrera Imbroda, head of the Urology Service at the Clinical University Hospital Virgen de la Victoria, to SUR. Indeed, in patients with family history, it has been shown that "screening improves survival." That is, over the age of forty with cancers that occur due to "a familial genetic aggregation," it is necessary to visit the family doctor or specialist and undergo the appropriate tests.

Robotic surgery minimizes postoperative complications in prostate cancer improving patient quality of life

"The survival rate for prostate cancer with early detection and localized is high, over 90%. Prevention is fundamentally based on early diagnosis," he notes, to recall that advances such as robotic surgery, of which 400 are performed a year at the Clínico, about 120 are related to prostate cancer, "help to significantly reduce the rate of perioperative complications, especially in terms of urinary continence and erectile dysfunction, meaning, the recovery of both is more prompt and much higher with robotic surgery," he adds.

"It is diagnosed more because it is related to age and, fortunately, we are living longer," emphasizes the radiation oncologist at the Clínico, Antonio Lazo Prados. He agrees with his colleague that treatments are increasingly effective, surgeries safer, as well as radiotherapy, so that side effects have plummeted and survival has improved: it is one of the cancers with the best prognosis (more than 90% are cured).

Technological Advances

Major technological advances have allowed survival to triple also in patients with metastasis from two or three years to seven or eight, this specialist explains, but progress is continuous: now tools such as artificial intelligence, molecular biology, early detection, and genetic study of tumors are being incorporated.

Silent advancement of prostate cancer: early detection increases the chances of cure

Nine out of ten diagnoses occur in men over 65 years of age, with an average age of onset around 75 years. As it does not show symptoms and progresses slowly and silently, if detected in advanced stages it may no longer be curable and require chronic treatments. A blood test is usually done to detect PSA, a protein produced almost exclusively by prostate cells, in addition to a urological examination and individualized follow-up. A digital rectal exam is also performed, in which the doctor palpates the prostate through the rectum to look for lumps, irregularities in size, shape, or texture. If there are suspicions, an ultrasound and a biopsy are performed to confirm.

The head of the Urology Service at Quirónsalud Hospital Málaga, José Ángel Gómez Pascual, agrees on the high cure rate of prostate cancer if detected in time and considers that it is necessary to resort to technological advances like "fusion image-guided prostate biopsy" using magnetic resonance imaging and transrectal ultrasound, which allows for precise biopsy of the exact tissue where cancer cells are presumed.

Symptoms

Symptoms appear as the cancer progresses: difficulty starting to urinate, less force in the urine stream, dribbling after finishing, frequent need to use the bathroom, especially at night, blood or pus in the urine, blood in the semen, pain when urinating or ejaculating, or in the hip or lower back that does not go away over time. Also, pain in the pelvis, unintended weight loss, and loss of appetite.