Epidemiological Survey of Prostate Cancer Prevalence in Kangseo-Gu, Busan, Korea

Kim, Soo Dong; Sung, Gyung Tak; Yoon, Jin Han

Abstract

PURPOSE: The prevalence of prostate cancer is increasing in the general population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of prostate cancer in the general population of Kangseo-Gu, Busan, Korea and to estimate the overall prevalence of prostate cancer in Korea.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We studied 497 community volunteers of a random selection from August to September 2001. The included volunteers were older than 50 years and were not within the area of general urologic practice. Screening protocols included International Prostatic Symptom Score(I-PSS), digital rectal examination(DRE) and serum prostate specific antigen(PSA) with an immunoenzymatic assay(Tandem-E). Transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy was recommended in patients with a PSA value higher than 4ng/ml, suspicious nodules on DRE or a hypoechoic region on TRUS, or more than two of these findings.
RESULTS
The mean age of the volunteers was 61.0 years old with a range of 50-88 years. The most common age range for men was 50-54 years old in Kangseo-Gu with a total of 144 men(28.3%). Overall, the age distribution of Kangseo-Gu residents was similar to that of the study population. Estimated prostate cancer prevalence was 1.81%, and 9 out of the 497 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer based on prostate biopsy.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study indicated prostate cancer detection rate of 1.8% in Kangseo-Gu which translates to an estimated 77,400 men who suffer from prostate cancer in Korea. This result reflects an increase in the prevalence of prostate cancer of 43% in 2002 as compared with the reported value of 1.27% in 1996.