Prostate cancer in Mexico.

Prostate cancer typically develops in men aged 50 and older, with its highest incidence observed after the age of 65, according to estimations GLOBOCAN estimates.

Researchers from the Center for Population Health Research (CISP) at the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) conducted a study on prostate cancer mortality in Mexico. The main objective was to identify significant changes in prostate cancer mortality trends over the last three decades and to explore potential population-level explanations for these changes.

The researchers at CISP found that during the study period, 114,616 men, with an average age of 76.5 years, died from this malignancy, and the risk of death was 16 deaths per 10,000 men over the age of 40. It was also noted that over the past 13 years, mortality from PC showed a sustained annual growth of 2.3%. However, this mortality trend varied depending on access to healthcare in each state.

The states of Sonora, Baja California Sur, and Sinaloa had the highest five-year mortality rates over a period of three decades. However, the states that experienced the most significant changes in mortality throughout this time period were those classified as being very highly and highly marginalized. At the beginning of this time period, the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca (very highly marginalized), as well as Campeche, Hidalgo, Michoacan, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatan (highly marginalized), had the lowest mortality rates or showed a significant decline.

Prostate cancer in Latin America.

With over 412,000 new cases and more than 85,000 deaths, prostate cancer is the number one cancer in the Americas in terms of new cases and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men.

If the current trends persist, the number of new cases and deaths from prostate cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean is projected to almost double by 2030.

The incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer vary from country to country.

The highest mortality and incidence rates for prostate cancer are in the Caribbean, particularly Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.

In Latin America, there are over 20 countries which, together, have a combined population of approximately 516 million people. Moreover, the population of Latin America is diverse in terms of race, life expectancy, diet, socioeconomic and cultural levels, mortality causes and other factors that might influence the incidence of prostate cancer. The quality of healthcare also varies, as do the sources of appropriate information, the proportion of youth, and the distribution between urban and rural populations. These are all factors than might influence statistics.

In countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, there is a higher proportion of white people due to European immigration. However, countries such as Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Venezuela have mixed-race populations, with indigenous communities being prominent in certain areas. Moreover, in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, there are geographic areas with a predominantly black population.

Lastly, the causes of mortality vary from country to country. Overall, the main mortality causes in Latin America are cardiovascular diseases, communicable diseases and cancer, in comparison to other countries, where external causes such as traffic accidents, homicides, and murders are considered significant contributors to mortality.

Prostate cancer worldwide.

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer and the fifth leading cause of death in men.

Around the world, the incidence and mortality rates vary from country to country. In 2002, there were 679,000 new cases of prostate cancer worldwide, making it the fifth most common cancer globally, and the second most common cancer in men (accounting for 11.7% of new cancer cases; 19% in developed countries and 5.3% in underdeveloped countries).

The GLOBOCAN study reported that in Northern European countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), the diagnosis of prostate cancer has increased by 8.2% per year. However, the mortality rate has been declining since 2000 by 3.1% per year (6). In the U. S. and Canada, similar data have been found, showing a steady incidence rate of 4.3% and a decline in mortality by 3.1%. However, in developing countries, mortality rates have been on the rise (6,7). As for national epidemiology, Colombia boasts one of the lowest incidences of prostate cancer in Latin America, with a 28% incidence to mortality ratio, a figure very close to the global average of 28.6% and lower than that of countries like Ecuador (40.41%), Cuba (46.65%), and Peru (37.74%) (6). Similarly, mortality has decreased over the past 4 years (7). The regions with the highest number of reported prostate cancer patients are Bogota, Valle, and Antioquia —the most densely populated regions and with the largest number of urologists (5,7).