The November Blue campaign promotes awareness of prostate cancer and highlights the risks of lack of medical follow-up by men.
Data from the Ministry of Health show that during the Covid-19 pandemic period, which started in March 2020, there was a 21.5% reduction in surgeries to remove the prostate for cancer by the Unified Health System (SUS). The data is the result of a comparison between the years 2019 and 2020.
Other procedures that allow the diagnosis of cancer also showed a reduction in the period. The completion of a complementary exam, called PSA, had a drop of 27%. Biopsy, which consists of removing fragments of prostate tissue for analysis, showed a decrease of 21%.
The number of urological consultations in the SUS also dropped by 33.5%. The hospitalizations of patients diagnosed with the disease had a drop of 15.7%.
According to the president of the Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU), Antonio Carlos Pompeo, the fear of contagion and the direction of health services to confront Covid-19 explain the decrease in the number of consultations and the drop in surgeries and other procedures.
“In the pandemic, hospitals and clinics basically turned to Covid-19 care, to the detriment of care for other diseases. People, due to social distancing, had difficulty in seeking care. They no longer wanted to move around a lot so as not to have contact with people in hospitals”, says Pompeo. “In addition, hospitals had a shortage of vacancies because they were directed to other diseases. The sum of this resulted in fewer consultations, which means fewer exams, biopsies and treatment”, he completes.
According to a survey by the Brazilian Society of Urology, the appointments with urologists remain low in 2021. Until the month of July, 1,812,982 consultations were carried out. In 2019, there were 4,232,293 consultations and, in 2020, 2,816,326 consultations.
The states that showed the greatest reductions in prostate biopsy between 2019 and 2020 were Acre (90%), Mato Grosso (69%) and Rio Grande do Norte (50%). States such as Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais had reductions of 39% and 31%, respectively.
Regarding the PSA test, significant falls were registered in Paraíba (50%), Pernambuco (37%), Distrito Federal (34%), Rio de Janeiro (30%) and São Paulo (29%).
Increased mortality rate
Prostate cancer is the most common among men, except for non-melanoma skin cancer. According to estimates by the National Cancer Institute (Inca), around 65,000 new cases are expected to emerge in the country in 2021.
Specialists warn that the decrease in the search for medical care and exams can increase the number of undiagnosed cases.
“We missed the opportune moment to diagnose a lot of people during the pandemic. We have to diagnose prostate cancer when it has no symptoms. Our goal is early diagnosis, we do not have a preventive measure for this type of cancer”, emphasizes Pompeo.
According to data from the Mortality Information System (SIM), mortality from prostate cancer increased about 10% in five years, rising from 14,542 deaths in 2015 to 16,033 victims in 2019.
The impacts of the pandemic
A study conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) showed that, in Brazil, more than one million surgeries were canceled or postponed, including surgical procedures for the treatment of prostate cancer.
The research, published in the scientific journal The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, points to the growing accumulation of surgical procedures as a result of the changes imposed by Covid-19 in the capacity of health care systems. The postponement of elective surgeries, with the objective of directing medical resources to patients with Covid-19, increased the bottleneck of procedures.
According to the article, the postponement or cancellation of more than one million surgical procedures in the country’s public health system has led to an accumulation of elective surgeries that reaches 900,000 cases.
The president of the Brazilian Society of Urology, Antonio Carlos Pompeo, advises men to resume routine health care and periodic medical consultations.
“It is very important that men have access to information, routine appointments and also that they receive their diagnosis. This doctor’s flight will cause more late diagnoses in the long term,” says Pompeo.
health information
Throughout the month of November, the Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU) carries out a series of actions that emphasize care for men’s health.
Several monuments will be illuminated in blue, including the Estaiada Bridge and Viaduto do Chá in São Paulo.
“The campaigns aim to change behavior by raising awareness about the need for health care. Many diseases, including prostate cancer, do not cause any symptoms in their early stages. For this reason, periodic exams are important, even if you don’t feel anything,” said Dr. Alfredo Canalini, general secretary of the SBU.
Reference: CNN Brasil
