Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective:To evaluate awareness of prostate cancer in the population of the city of São Paulo.Methods:A total of 392 adults were randomly interviewed on public spaces in the city of São Paulo, and answered a questionnaire that addressed demographic questions and specific knowledge about the prostate cancer. A score was used to assess awareness of cancer in general, and of prostate cancer, considering satisfactory knowledge a score of 6 points.Results:The mean age was 36.9 years (standard deviation of ±12.6) and 58.2% of participants were male. No previous contact with information related to prostate cancer was reported by 45.5% of participants. For these cases, a greater proportion was observed among men aged over 50 years. As to the score, the mean was 3.7 (standard deviation of ±1.3), with a positive correlation among higher scores, higher income and education level. Less than 5% of participants believed they should only search for prostate cancer screening when symptomatic. Finally, among the less frequent responses to risk factors for prostate cancer, is “ethnic origin” (2.8%).Conclusion:Even though most participants did not have a satisfactory score, the level of awareness demonstrated in this study seems superior to that of other populational series. Hence it suggested the assessed population understood some essential concepts in prostate cancer, such as the importance of screening and the follow-up. The efforts made by the Sociedade Brasileira de Urologia on educational campaigns partially explain this. However, working in some concepts, like identifying risk factors for prostate cancer, might optimize screening outcomes.
Highlights
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a frequent disease of the middle-aged and older men, being the second most common neoplasm among men and the sixth leading cause of death from malignant neoplasms worldwide.[1,2] In Brazil, PCa has the highest incidence of cancer among men, followed by non-melanoma skin cancer, including in São Paulo (SP), where the estimated incidence is 51.44 per 100 thousand inhabitants.[3,4]An essential strategy in the management of the disease is the early detection, considered as a secondary prevention aiming to detect cancer in earlier stages of development
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gave “D” class recommendation on PCa screening, which was more recently changed to class “C” for males between 55 to 69 years old.[9]. In contrast, the Sociedade Brasileira de Urologia (SBU) recommends a routine screening as from 50 years,(10) following most non-governmental guidelines in Latin America, despite some minor differences.[5]
Another factor that affects screening is compliance.[11]. In Brazil, compliance to the SBU guideline is lower compared to that of the American Urological Association (AUA).(12) The different compliance trends observed in many countries have a multifactorial cause
Summary
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a frequent disease of the middle-aged and older men, being the second most common neoplasm among men and the sixth leading cause of death from malignant neoplasms worldwide.[1,2] In Brazil, PCa has the highest incidence of cancer among men, followed by non-melanoma skin cancer, including in São Paulo (SP), where the estimated incidence is 51.44 per 100 thousand inhabitants.[3,4]An essential strategy in the management of the disease is the early detection, considered as a secondary prevention aiming to detect cancer in earlier stages of development. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gave “D” class recommendation on PCa screening, which was more recently changed to class “C” for males between 55 to 69 years old.[9] In contrast, the Sociedade Brasileira de Urologia (SBU) recommends a routine screening as from 50 years,(10) following most non-governmental guidelines in Latin America, despite some minor differences.[5] Besides the guidelines, another factor that affects screening is compliance.[11] In Brazil, compliance to the SBU guideline is lower compared to that of the American Urological Association (AUA).(12) The different compliance trends observed in many countries have a multifactorial cause.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
