Opportunities for early detection of prostate cancer in young and middle-aged men

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a public health problem worldwide. Among all malignant tumors, PCa ranks second in prevalence (105 out of 185 countries) and fifth in cause of death in men in 46 countries. In some cases, this pathology is verified in men under the age of 50, including the advanced stage of the metastatic process. The review article provides information on the epidemiology and prevalence of PCa in young men obtained from the PubMed, CrossRef, and Scopus databases. The data on the probable causal relationship of a number of factors potentially affecting the development of prostate carcinoma are presented. Little-known and new molecular genetic changes are described, including those associated with prostate-specific antigen (PSA), with a proven role in the development of this disease, the use of which will make it possible to predict PCa development in the early stages in a timely manner. It has been determined that the common methods for diagnosing carcinoma in the population, assessing the level of serum PSA, are not always accurate and that the algorithm for their use has not been finally formed. The study of risk factors for the development of PCa in young patients will make it possible to formulate a new diagnostic approach based on considering personal molecular genetic information. The development of this direction is relevant and has an important social and economic importance, considering the study of the contingent of the able-bodied population.

Keywords

• prostate cancer
• early diagnosis
• genes
• risk factors