The head of the Urology Service of the University Hospital Complex of Santiago (Spain), Camilo García Freire, stated that “about 80% of patients with prostate cancer are curable at the time of diagnosis.”
The specialist, interviewed by The Voice of Galiciaattributed this advance to the development of more precise early detection methods.
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“25 or 30 years ago, tumors were diagnosed by physical examination and little else. At that time, 80% were already locally advanced”he explained. However, the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and other complementary tests “completely reversed reality,” allowing the majority of cases to be detected in the initial stages.
Advances in treatments and new therapies
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According to García Freire, the most effective treatment continues to be radical prostatectomy, although he highlighted that current options include radiotherapy and new hormone blocking drugs.
“We are almost in a position to say that many prostate cancers become a chronic disease, since we have staggered options that we can apply over time,” he said.
Patients can be cured thanks to early diagnosis. Photo:iStock
The urologist recalled that prostate cancer is “a hormone-sensitive disease” and that thanks to androgen blockade treatments, it has been possible to improve the quality of life and survival of patients.. “Almost 80% of patients with prostate cancer will be cured”he reaffirmed.
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The importance of control and early detection
The specialist recommends that men with a family history begin check-ups from the age of 45, while the rest should do so from the age of 60.
Regarding the symptoms, he pointed out that “they are not specific signs,” since they usually coincide with those of benign prostatic hyperplasia. “The patient may have difficulty urinating, less force of the stream or need to get up at night to urinate. But these signs do not always indicate cancer,” he clarified.
Robotic surgery: key technology in recovery
García Freire stressed that all radical prostatectomies performed in his service are carried out with robotic technology. “At this moment, we all do them with robots. The results are very good,” Indian.
The use of the Da Vinci robot has improved surgical results: “The postoperative period is more comfortable, blood loss is less, recovery of continence is better and the preservation of erections is also better.”
Regarding waiting times, he pointed out that the commitment of the Galician Health Service (Sergas) is to operate within a maximum period of 60 days, a figure that is met in most cases.
This you should know. Photo:iStock
Perspectives and healthcare capacity
The head of Urology at CHUS indicated that his team performs between 200 and 250 radical prostatectomies a year, in addition to about 680 transrectal biopsies and 340 fusion biopsies. The latter, guided by MRI, offer a detection rate of 60 to 65%.
Currently, the service maintains a follow-up of between 80 and 100 patients per week, in addition to treating other urological tumors, such as those of the bladder or kidney.
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García Freire expressed his desire for the technological endowment to be expanded: “Hopefully we can have a new robot as soon as possible. That would allow us to improve results and reduce waiting times”he concluded.
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*This content was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on publicly known information disclosed to the media. In addition, it was reviewed by the journalist and an editor.
