The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia’s (PCFA) research, based on the number of Australians over the past 40 years with the disease likely to have male offspring, forecast cases to lift from more than 240,000 at present to 372,000.
Australia has one of the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world, with more than 66 men diagnosed every day. So far this year, 24,217 new cases have been diagnosed, with 3507 deaths.
“These latest estimates suggest as many as 630,000 Australian males may face double the average risk of prostate cancer due to their family history of the disease,” PCFA CEO Anne Savage said.
“Essentially what we are facing is a tidal wave of risk.
“It’s vital that we give these men and their families all the information they need to enable early diagnosis and timely treatment.”
“Detected at its earliest stage, the five-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer is nearly 100 per cent, which means if we detect it while the cancer is contained within the prostate, we can almost certainly defeat it for good.”
New data reveals that most prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia followed by breast, colorectal (bowel), and melanoma.
This trend may have been the result of increased prostate-specific antigen testing, the introduction of national cancer screening programs, and improvements in technologies and techniques used to identify and diagnose cancer.
Local statistics (2012-2016)
Shepparton (encompassing Yarrawonga)
•Men living with prostate cancer 1,533
•Number of new cases per year 134
•Average cancer stage at diagnosis: stage 2
Murray (encompassing Mulwala and Corowa)
•Men living with prostate cancer 1,639
•Number of new cases per year 122
•Average cancer stage at diagnosis: stage 1
Hume (encompassing Rutherglen and Wahgunyah)
•Men living with prostate cancer 2,066
•Number of new cases per year 157
•Average cancer stage at diagnosis: stage 2
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