More than 500 patients have already undergone the Servet prostate cancer genetic counseling service

Ángel Borque is the section head of the Prostate Unit of the Servet Urology service and leads a study at the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón) for the use of artificial intelligence for the diagnosis of prostate cancer

It is the most common tumor in men and is the third cause of mortality from cancer in men. In Aragón, close to 1.100 cases new ones per year. Coinciding with World Day, this Tuesday, those affected ask for an early diagnosis.

More than 500 patients have already undergone the prostate cancer genetic counseling service at the Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza, a pioneering consultation that was launched in 2019 with the objective of detecting those tumors that are inherited from parents and that can be transmitted to descendants.

The consultation depends on the Urology service and is possible thanks to the involvement of the Genetics Unit of the Biochemistry, Radiation Oncology and Pathological Anatomy service. Dr. Ángel Borque, section head of the Prostate Unit of the Servet Urology service, specifies that the percentage of pathogenic findings of prostate cancer with a hereditary profile in more than 500 patients studied in the genetic counseling consultation in these 5 years is a 11,4%.

Prostate cancer is most common tumor in men and constitutes the third cause of mortality from cancer in men, only behind lung and colorectal cancer. According to the Observatory of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), in 2023, 1.013 new cases in Aragon, 33.769 nationwide. Annual mortality is around 240 people in Aragon and 6.011 died from this cause in Spain.

It is a disease that develops mainly in elderly men. For Dr. Borque, the usual age of appearance is around 70 years, but tumors are also detected earlier “and are sometimes more aggressive”: “When they appear in younger men, before the age of 60, we consider the possibility that it is a hereditary cancer".

The strategy tries to detect the tumor in a initial stage: “In those patients where there may be a possible hereditary component in prostate cancer, what we do is identify them early in the diagnosis and from there establish an opportunity for study the patient and, if positive findings are found, to their families".

From Servet they also participate in the active surveillance in prostate cancer since 2019, which aims to monitor “very low risk” tumors in which active treatment is not necessary. During these five years, more than 3.000 patients throughout Spain have participated in this strategy, 350 in this Aragonese hospital.

As Dr. Borque highlights: “It is an international strategy that is quite consolidated, but in a Mediterranean environment like ours it was quite difficult to make both professionals and patients see that Not treating a tumor could be safe and secure”. In these cases, he says, "it is enough to follow up, and it is not necessary to expose patients to the potential side effects of the treatments, whether incontinence or impotence."

Among the projects that Dr. Borque works on is a study, led by the Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon), for the use of artificial intelligence for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Since the launch of this project, in July 2021, anonymized data has been collected from around 95.000 Aragonese men in the Zaragoza II health sector and 12 million analyzes have been evaluated. This has made it possible to generate artificial intelligence models. The project will conclude at the end of 2024, so that it will not be before 2025 when it could be put into practice.

early detection

The 'TheMoveMen' association was launched six months ago in Aragon with the aim of Raise awareness about preventive health against the different types of cancer that men suffer, such as prostate, testicles or breast. The idea is to promote this group at the national level.

Those affected ask for an early diagnosis to detect prostate cancer in time. Dr. Ángel Borque remembers that European Commission already proposed, at the end of 2022, introduce population-based prostate screening, based on the PSA test and MRI. A period of three years was given to try to establish a strategy in this regard, which is sustainable within the health system.

On the occasion of World Day, this Tuesday, the president of 'TheMoveMen', Javier Alcázar, asked the Cortes of Aragón illuminate the Aljafería Palace in blue. This initiative will also reach sources in the city of Zaragoza. Specifically, those in the Plaza de España and those in the Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta, from approximately 21.00:22.00 p.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

“I,” he says, “was diagnosed with prostate cancer by chance, at the age of 46, and I had 39% of my prostate affected”. Every year more than 33.000 cases of prostate cancer are detected in Spain and around 6.000 men die from this cause. “It is estimated that 30% of deaths could be avoided with mass screening, consisting of a simple blood test and the PSA marker,” he points out.

“It is essential that society becomes aware of the importance of both early detection and healthy lifestyle habits, giving importance to preventive health such as regular exercise and a healthy diet," says: "From our point of view, medical checkups of the PSA marker at least from the age of 50 could save many lives, given that there is a survival rate of almost 90% of cases with early detection, not reaching metastatic states, and being able to apply effective medical treatments.

Source: Heraldo de Aragón

Image: Francisco Jimenez