Cases of late-stage prostate cancer rising

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – According to a recent study by the American Cancer Society, the risk of dying from cancer in the United States has fallen by nearly a third in three decades.

However, cases of late-stage prostate cancer are on the rise.

Between the years of 2014 and 2019, there was a three percent increase in prostate cancer. It’s the first increase in about 20 years.

A Mayo Clinic Urologist says incidents of prostate cancer were high in the mid-90s or early 2000s because of a push for more screenings.

In the early 2010s, the U.S. Prevention Services Task Force recommended against routine prostate screenings. The recommendation came after people were diagnosed with early, slow-moving cancer that was unlikely to kill them.

Because men are getting screened less or not at all, there is rise in late-stage cancer.

“The concern that we’re starting to see is an increase of incidents of later stage cancers, so more aggressive disease or metastatic disease are now more likely to be diagnosed than they were just 10 or 15 years ago,” Mayo Clinic urologist oncologist Matt Tollefson said.

Some of the symptoms of prostate cancer include difficulty urinating, blood in the urine and lower abdominal pain.

If you want to learn more about prostate cancer screenings, you can reach out to your primary care physician.