Condition
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer has a very high prevalence among men in Costa Rica. An annual evaluation is recommended starting at age 40, with a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, since in its initial stages it usually causes no symptoms, and early detection broadens treatment options.
How common is it, and who should get checked?
Prostate cancer has a very high prevalence among men in Costa Rica: it is estimated that by age 90, 95% of the male population already has prostate cancer. An annual evaluation is recommended starting at age 40, with a digital rectal exam and a PSA test, since it is from that age onward that the incidence of this cancer begins to rise.
Does it cause symptoms?
In its initial stages, prostate cancer causes no symptoms at all. When symptoms do appear, it is almost always too late, and the disease has probably already spread to other organs. That is why the annual evaluation starting at age 40 is the way to detect it before it causes discomfort.
How is it diagnosed?
A PSA level above 2.5 ng/dl or a suspicious digital rectal exam require the urologist to rule out prostate carcinoma through a biopsy.
How is it treated?
Once the tumor is diagnosed, several therapeutic options exist depending on the type of tumor, the clinical stage, and the patient's general condition: active surveillance, radiotherapy, radical prostatectomy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. According to the American Urological Association (AUA), surgery is the reference treatment for prostate cancer, and it can be performed as open conventional, laparoscopic, or robotic surgery. Dr. Mario González Salas has experience in laparoscopic prostate surgery in Costa Rica.
