Experts fear prostate cancer ‘Covid remnant’ due to lack of in-person GP appointments

Experts predict a spike in prostate cancer deaths in the coming years, and this is a hangover for the thousands of cases lost during the Covid pandemic.

Cancer specialists blamed the lack of family doctor appointments as the reason for the expected increase, meaning that no revealing signs were detected.

An analysis of NHS data shows that the number of delayed prostate cancers diagnosed as the disease spread has increased by three percent since 2020. Number of cases reported to the emergency department.

When cancer is diagnosed in an emergency, it is usually at an advanced stage when it causes painful symptoms.

When cancer is diagnosed in an emergency, it is usually at an advanced stage when it causes painful symptoms.

Meanwhile, the total number of middle-aged men diagnosed with prostate cancer is four percent less than doctors expected in two years, suggesting missing cases.

The authors, whose data will be presented today at the European Congress of Medical Oncology, say the figures show that at least 14,000 British men are living with undiagnosed prostate cancer.

“These data are very disturbing and show how important it is that more is done to raise awareness about prostate cancer, especially among young men,” said Chiara De Biase, director of Prostate Cancer UK.

At least 14,000 men were underdiagnosed during the pandemic, and we now know that unless things change, we are likely to worsen men’s health outcomes.”

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK and will affect one in eight British men in their lifetime.

By far the biggest risk factor is age: it is more common in men over the age of 75.

Genetics also play a role, cancers are much more likely to affect men who are close relatives and are also affected. And prostate cancer is more common in black men than in white or Asian men.

Unlike many cancers, prostate cancer is not clearly linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity or smoking.

Overall, the prognosis is good: 84% of patients survive for ten years or more. But it still kills 11,500 men a year.

Unlike many cancers, prostate cancer is not clearly linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity or smoking. Overall, the prognosis is good: 84% of patients survive for ten years or more. But it still kills 11,500 people a year

About 15 percent of prostate cancer patients undergo surgery to remove the tumor, and a third receive radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy is given less frequently, with three percent of patients receiving treatment. Since the prostate gland is located just below the bladder, aggressive treatment carries a certain risk of incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Newer treatments that involve inflating the prostate with ultrasound or using freezing needles aim to reduce these problems, although there is not yet sufficient evidence to suggest that they have become standard offerings on the NHS.

Anyone diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer will survive the disease for a year or more. However, if the cancer is detected after it has progressed and spread outside the prostate, the chance of surviving more than five years is only 50%.

Once diagnosed with prostate cancer in the emergency room, the chances of survival are significantly lower than for a GP appointment.

Therefore, early detection of prostate cancer is very important.

The disease is almost always first noticed using the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. This is a blood test that can detect possible cancer cells and is usually done by a doctor. Patients whose PSA test shows a disturbing result are then referred to a cancer specialist.

Primary care doctors usually do not wait for prostate cancer symptoms before recommending the test to men. Instead, they ask men over 45 if they would like to have a PSA test when they come to their clinic for other unrelated problems.

Cancer experts say that limited access to family physicians during the Covid pandemic means far fewer PSA tests are done and, as a result, fewer prostate cancer diagnoses.

“GPs often do PSA tests on an opportunistic basis,” said Professor Joe O’Sullivan, an oncologist at Queen’s University in Belfast. “You can come up with a bad knee and your doctor will give you a PSA test while you’re there.

“But as there are far fewer face-to-face appointments with primary care physicians during the pandemic, opportunities to test for the disease have decreased significantly.

“We are now seeing an increase in prostate cancers detected at an advanced stage, and this is undoubtedly due to the decline in family doctor appointments.”