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With the aim of promoting the prevention of prostate cancer in the State of São Paulo, ARTESP – State Transport Agency of São Paulo, with the support of the 20 dealers who manage the motorways of São Paulo, participates in the November Blue campaign. The initiative is a partnership with the Brazilian Society of Urology of Sao Paulo (SBU-SP) in order to raise awareness of the importance of preventive examinations, especially during this pandemic period. According to data from the National Cancer Institute (Inca), 65,840 new cases are expected in 2020 alone, but they may not be diagnosed in time due to social isolation. In Brazil, there was a 70% decrease in oncology surgeries and a 50% to 90% reduction in biopsies sent for analysis, it is estimated that between 50,000 and 90,000 Brazilians were not diagnosed with cancer during this period.
The November Blue awareness actions begin on Tuesday (3) and run until the 30th. Since then, the dealerships have exhibited the following messages in 392 electronic panels – distributed along 10.8 thousand kilometers of motorway concessions in the State of São Paulo – of the campaign:
“Take care of your health”
“Take care of your prostate”
In the state alone, up to August of this year, 4,751 hospitalizations for prostate cancer diagnosis and 1,712 deaths from the disease were recorded. In 2019 there were 8,476 hospitalizations and 3,332 deaths.
“This year has been full of challenges to overcome. As a supervisory agency, we value the safety of road users, and safety also means taking care of health. Hence, we have added efforts, through partnerships, to help strengthen the Blue November campaign and raise awareness of the importance of prostate cancer screening, “says ARTESP CEO Milton Persoli. 392 electronic panels, there will be blue lighting in the ARTESP building, information messages on social networks and conferences to employees.
According to SBU data, a national laboratory indicated an 18% drop in PSA test orders (it stands for prostate specific antigens, or prostate specific antigens in Portuguese; a test to measure the concentration of this particle in the blood to check the ‘possible presence of prostate cancer) in the period from March to June 2020 compared to March to June 2019.
It is very important that men have access to information if they belong to the risk group, when they should see the doctor, and what problems may affect them through educational campaigns such as the November Blue. “Thanks to the wide circulation that the media have dedicated to the subject, especially in the November Blue campaign, we have increasingly observed that men feel motivated to seek the urologist for periodic prostate examination. But there is still a long way to go before the prejudice and embarrassment are overcome and the undiagnosed disease early results in the death of so many men, “says urologist Geraldo Faria, president of the Brazilian Society of Urology in San Paul.
For 35 years, the Paulista José Carlos Epifânio, 75, has been carrying out routine exams. “At the first sign of complications, I’ve already gone to the doctor. I always encourage my friends and family to take care of themselves to have a long and healthy life, ”he explains.
In São Paulo, the Department of Health encourages the conduct of a preventive examination for prostate cancer, essential for the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, and has services, following all the safety and prevention protocols of COVID-19. There is also a telephone service to make an appointment with a urologist at the SUS fixed services through the Son Who Loves program brings the father to love. Contact can be made through the call center at 0800-779-0000, from Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to 17:00.
Understand prostate diseases
About the size of a chestnut and located under the bladder, the main function of the prostate is to produce a fluid secretion for the nutrition and transport of sperm. Over the course of life, the gland can develop three diseases: prostatitis (inflammation), benign prostatic hyperplasia – BPH (benign growth) – and cancer.
Prostatitis affects about 30% of men. It can cause burning or stinging or discomfort during orgasm, yellowish semen, frequent need to urinate, etc. The main cause of the disease is urethritis, like gonorrhea, after intercourse with partners with gynecological infections and also after anal intercourse without a condom.
SBU coordinator Benign Prostate Hyperplasia, Dr. Ricardo Vita, explains that the disease can affect about 50% of men over the age of 50 and causes an increase in daytime urinary frequency, decreased strength and jet caliber urinary, delayed initiation of urination, feeling of urgency to urinate, among other symptoms. “In addition to impairing urination, BPH can affect the functioning of the bladder and kidneys, demonstrating the importance of early identification of symptoms as well as immediate treatment,” he points out.
Cancer, in turn, usually shows no symptoms in the early stages, when 90% of cases can be cured if caught early. When symptoms occur, it means that you are already in a more advanced stage and can cause the need to urinate frequently and the presence of blood in the urine or semen.
Some risk factors for developing prostate cancer are: family history of prostate cancer in a father, brother or uncle, and black men. The SBU’s recommendation is that men, from the age of 50, and even without symptoms, should seek a specialized professional for a personalized assessment aimed at early detection of prostate cancer. Men in the risk group (black race or with first-degree relatives with prostate cancer) should start examinations earlier, starting at age 45. After 75 years of age, only men with a life expectancy of more than 10 years will be able to carry out this assessment.
Information on the SBU
The Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU) is a 90-year-old medical entity that brings together more than 4,500,000 associated physicians across the country, 30% of whom are linked to the State of Sao Paulo. Non-profit, it represents professionals in the specialty of clinical and surgical urology, responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the urinary system, of both sexes, and of the male genital system. The São Paulo section is 50 years old and has about 1500 associated doctors. Since 2004, it has conducted annual prostate cancer awareness campaigns to increase the survival of patients with the disease. For more information, log on to the new portal, visit: sbu-sp.org.br
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