Albania is the country with the lowest incidence of prostate cancer in Europe. This disease is statistically the most common cancer in men over 50 years old and the possibility of being affected increases with age.

According to the latest data, the incidence of prostate cancer in Albania is 131.1 cases per 100,000 men aged 55-85, at a time when the European average is 469.7 cases per 100,000 men.

In Europe, prostate cancer accounted for almost a quarter of new cancer cases among men, and was the cause of over 70,000 deaths.

Albania, although with lower levels than other European countries, is not excluded from this trend. According to data from the cancer observatory, in 2020, 257 new cases of prostate cancer and 128 deaths were registered in Albania.

A recent study published in the “British Medical Journal” shows that the overdiagnosis of prostate cancer in Europe has significantly influenced the variation in the incidence of the disease between countries, increasing the cases of unnecessary diagnoses. While prostate cancer incidence rates can vary up to 20-fold between countries, mortality rates vary only five-fold, showing a stark contrast.

The high rate of over-diagnosis is related to the use of the prostate-specific antigen test, which often detects tumors that do not progress and do not threaten the individual’s life. Experts note that this leads to unnecessary treatments and negative consequences for men’s quality of life.