Urgent need for prostate cancer screening amongst Dutch men

A recent TNS NIPO survey, on behalf of the Dutch Association of Urology (NVU) and the European Association of Urology (EAU), showed that almost four out of 10 Dutch men of 50 years and older suffer, or have suffered, from urinary complaints. The same number of men also said in the same survey they are worried that they may have prostate cancer.

The TNS NIPO survey also indicated that a significantly larger number of men that suffer, or have suffered, from urinary complaints expressed the concern of having prostate cancer as compared to men without urinary complaints. Hundreds of thousands of men suffer from prostate complaints, however, many of them often do not seek medical help because they see them as a normal part of growing older or because their complaints do not hamper them in daily life.

Of note was the survey finding that practically all men who have participated in the Dutch study said that they would prefer to have an annual check or screening for prostate cancer. The widely used screening called the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, however, is not known to the vast majority of survey participants. The conclusion is that reliable information is urgently needed.

The study results will be released today, 15 September, during the annual official European prostate awareness day, part of the ongoing Urology Week activities. The Dutch and European associations for urologists (NVU and EAU) are collaborating to inform people about the prostate and the most common prostate-related diseases that affect many men.