What is the incidence trend of prostate cancer in China

International research on prostate cancer has never stopped, and in China, due to the increasing incidence of prostate cancer in recent years, research on the treatment of prostate cancer is also ongoing. In daily life, we should also pay more attention to this aspect. So, what is the incidence trend of prostate cancer in China?

According to data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the standardized incidence of prostate cancer in China in 2002 was 1.6/100,000, and the mortality rate was 1.0/100,000, making it still a low-risk country for prostate cancer. Of course, the incidence of prostate cancer varies greatly across the country. From 1993 to 1997, the standardized incidence in Qidong was 1.09/100,000, while that in Taiwan was 11.89/100,000. Relevant data in China is relatively scarce. Below, we mainly discuss the development trend and possible risk factors of prostate cancer in some developed regions of China based on epidemiological data from Shanghai and Beijing.

Over the past 30 years, the incidence of prostate cancer in Shanghai men has increased significantly, from 1.6/100,000 in 1973-1975 to 5.3/100,000 in 1997-1999, an increase of 3.3 times. In 2000, the incidence reached 7.7/100,000, ranking first among male genitourinary tumors. The situation in Beijing is similar: from 1985 to 1995, the incidence of prostate cancer in urban areas increased by 2.3 times, and the proportion of prostate cancer patients admitted to the Peking University Urology Institute increased from 0.6% in the 1950s to 3.4% in the 1990s (an increase of 5.7 times). During the same period, the incidence of Chinese in Taiwan and Singapore increased by 8.5 times and 4.8 times respectively, and has entered the medium-risk area for prostate cancer.

The incidence trend in Shanghai can be divided into two stages: from 1973 to 1987, the incidence of prostate cancer was basically at the same level; from the late 1980s, the incidence of prostate cancer showed a rapid upward trend, with an average annual increase of 14% from 1991 to 1999. Although Shanghai's current standardized incidence is lower than the incidence level of Chinese in developed areas, from the perspective of the incidence trend, Shanghai is in a period of rapid increase. Analysis of age-specific incidence found that the incidence rate of the age group over 60 years old increased by more than 130%, especially for those over 75 years old, and the increase in the 75-79 age group reached 470.2%. In the age structure of cases, the proportion of the high-age group increased year by year. From 1973 to 1975, the proportion of cases over 75 years old accounted for 22.7%, and it rose to 51.2% from 1997 to 1999. In addition to the actual increase in the incidence rate of the high-age group, the aging of the population is also an important reason for the increase in the proportion of the high-age group. In 1999, the life expectancy of men in Shanghai was 76.38 years, and the proportion of the population aged 65 and above had increased from 5.7% in 1972 to 12.5% ​​in 1996.

The incidence of prostate cancer is mainly affected by pSA screening and changes in exposure factors. A domestic pSA screening study found that the incidence of prostate cancer in men over 50 years old was 0.78%, mostly early-stage lesions. This result suggests that the actual incidence of prostate cancer in China is not low. However, there is currently a lack of early diagnosis of prostate cancer in China, so only a small number of patients are found to have prostate cancer due to abnormal pSA. With the widespread development of surgical treatment for prostate hyperplasia, the increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in China is related to the increase in incidental cancers.

Due to the lack of pSA screening, changes in population exposure factors are the main reasons for the rapid increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in developed areas of China. With the improvement of living standards, the fat intake of urban residents has continued to increase, especially since the mid-1980s. The consumption of grains and vegetables among the main food sources has declined, while the consumption of animal fat and meat has increased significantly. In 1996, the proportion of fat energy in total energy for all age groups of urban residents in Shanghai exceeded 30%, among which the intake of saturated fatty acids increased the most. On the contrary, the proportion of soy product protein, which has a protective effect, in total protein decreased, from 14.5% in 1982 to 5.4% in 1992. Changes in lifestyle have led to an imbalance between risk factors and protective factors for prostate cancer, and a clear trend of increasing incidence has appeared in low-risk populations. Because prostate cancer progresses slowly, the stimulation of pathogenic factors often manifests itself as an increase in incidence decades later, so the current domestic incidence trend must be given enough attention.

I hope these introductions can help everyone deepen their understanding of prostate cancer. In many cases, treatment requires us to understand other aspects of the disease clearly, so that the treatment effect will be better. I hope everyone can recognize this and take the initiative to learn more.