“The Alarming Rise of Prostate Cancer in Korea: Diagnosing and Treating the Nation’s Top Male Cancer”

The number of prostate cancer patients in Korea is rapidly increasing. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of prostate cancer patients in Korea increased from 75,000 in 2017 to 110,000 in 2021, an increase of about 45% in 4 years. We studied in detail with a specialist in urology at Haidaq about the tests needed to diagnose prostate cancer, which ranks first among male cancers, and the treatment methods after confirmation.

The number of prostate cancer patients in Korea is rapidly increasingㅣSource: Getty Image Bank
Q. What is prostate cancer?
Normal cells divide and grow on their own, complete their functions, and die. However, if there is a problem with these functions, cells may grow rapidly without dying and spread to surrounding tissues or other parts of the body, threatening life. This is called a malignant tumor, and when such a malignant tumor develops in the prostate, it is called prostate cancer. Prostate cancer mainly occurs in people in their 70s or older, but recently it is also common in people in their 40s and 50s.
– Hydak Urology Counseling Doctor Kyongho Ryu (Goldman Urology Clinic)

Q. It is difficult to urinate these days. Is it prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer usually has no symptoms in its early stages. This is because it grows slowly compared to other cancers. Even if the size of the tumor increases to some extent, it does not cause problems such as difficulty in urination, irritation of the bladder, and hematuria, as long as the urethra or surrounding tissues are not compressed. Symptoms such as urinary frequency, nocturnal polyuria, dysuria, and feeling of residual urine may appear only when the cancer has progressed considerably, and sometimes hemostatic fluid may occur. When cancer progresses and metastasizes, it usually metastasizes to the bone, and in this case, the pain is severe.
– Professor Yoon Jang-ho, counseling doctor, Department of Urology, Haidak (Wonkwang University Sanbon Hospital)

Q. My PSA level was high. What does this mean?
PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is a type of tumor marker test, also called prostate specific antigen. Although it is most commonly used as a kind of prostate cancer screening test, it is also elevated in various related diseases such as prostatitis and hypertrophy, and depending on the degree of elevation, related diseases can be classified and suspected to some extent.

Benign diseases such as inflammation or hypertrophy usually show a value of less than 2, and a value of 2 or more requires careful regular observation. You can perform detailed inspections such as inspections.
– Director Lee Woo-seung, counseling doctor, Department of Urology, Haidak (Eurojin Urology Clinic, Wonju Branch)

Q. What additional tests are performed if prostate cancer is suspected?
Prostate cancer screening methods include PSA prostate level blood test, prostate biopsy, and pelvic MRI. If the PSA blood level is confirmed to be high, a direct examination is required to confirm the diagnosis. The cut-off value of the prostate value for which a prostate biopsy should be performed may vary depending on age and circumstances, so a doctor’s judgment is required. If cancer tissue is identified in a biopsy, an MRI scan is required for staging, and a bone scan is performed to confirm bone metastases. Bone scans are performed because bone metastasis is more common in prostate cancer than in other sites.
– Director Lee Woo-seung, counseling doctor, Department of Urology, Haidak (Eurojin Urology Clinic, Wonju Branch)

Q. Is it necessary to undergo surgery to be cured?
The general treatment principles are: In the case of stage 1-2 carcinoma confined to the prostate in imaging tests for staging, radical prostatectomy is performed and follow-up is performed without additional treatment. If it is a stage 3 or 4 cancer with distant metastasis to the bone, lung, liver, brain, kidney, etc., systemic treatment is performed without surgery for curative purposes. It is common to receive testosterone blocking treatment at first, followed by chemotherapy. Testosterone, the male hormone, causes prostate cancer to grow, so hormone blockade treatment is a common treatment for distant metastasis.
– Director Lee Woo-seung, counseling doctor, Department of Urology, Haidak (Eurojin Urology Clinic, Wonju Branch)

* This article has been reconstructed from a Haidak expert’s answer.

Help = Haidak Counseling Doctor Ryu Gyeong-ho (Goldman Urology Clinic Urology Specialist), Haidak Counseling Doctor Yoon Jang-ho (Wonkwang University Sanbon Hospital Urology Specialist), Haidac Counseling Doctor Lee Woo-seung (Eurojin Urology Clinic Wonju Branch Urology Specialist)

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