Incidence figures across Europe reflect screening practices

Prostate cancer now accounts for almost one in four new cancer cases in men, according to a new data analysis by the European Commission with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, incidence varies significantly from country to country, with Lithuania (265 per 100,000) having the most cases – nearly 2.5 times as many as Bulgaria (104 per 100,000).

The report points out that the differences are highly influenced by the variations in prostate cancer screening practices from country to country – the more screening, the more cases.

The newly published report, analysing 2022 data, highlights efforts to introduce organised population screening programmes across Europe. It cites Czechnia, Latvia and Lithuania, along with the pilot screening programmes set up by the PRAISE-U project in the wake of the European Council’s recommendation to gather evidence about prostate cancer screening.

The good news is there have been improvements in survival in prostate, breast, colorectal and lung cancer. Five-year survival estimates have moderately increased in the majority of countries for prostate cancer. In Austria, estimated prostate cancer survival improved from 84% to 94% between 1994 and 2014, while in Finland it increased from 93% to 95% between 2011 and 2020.

You can download the report here.