The motto of this year’s campaign is: “Health is also a man’s business”.
After Pink October, which this year had several breast cancer awareness actions, Unimed Sorocaba announces its support for the Blue November campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of prevention and early diagnosis of prostate cancer. , encouraging men to extend their health care .
According to data from the Mortality Information System of the Ministry of Health, Brazil recorded 16,055 deaths from prostate cancer in 2021, which corresponds to approximately 44 deaths per day. In 2022, according to the National Cancer Institute (Inca), 65,840 new cases of the disease are expected.
According to urologist Dr. Lineu Amaro Rodrigues Junior, the campaign reinforces the need for men to see a doctor for periodic checkups to take care of their overall health. “Taking care of your health also means cultivating healthy habits, such as good nutrition and regular physical activity,” he recalls.
Annual screening exams, according to Dr. Linnaeus, are essential to detect prostate cancer at an early stage, because at this stage, the disease has no symptoms.
“Prostate cancer is the second most common type of tumor in men, after non-melanoma skin cancer. Despite the high incidence, when the diagnosis is made early, the chances of recovery are greater than 90%,” explains the doctor.
The Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU) recommends that men over 50 see a urologist annually for an individualized evaluation. Those who are part of the risk group are advised to start examinations and consultations earlier, from the age of 45.
Risk factors
Although it can affect men under the age of 50, one of the main risk factors for the disease is age, since it is a cancer which, in 65% of cases, is diagnosed after 65 years. “The incidence increases significantly with age, not being common in younger patients. Additionally, men with a family history of prostate cancer in a father, brother, or uncle, of racial black and obese are also part of the risk group”, underlines the doctor.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), men live an average of 7.1 years less than women and the mortality rate is higher in virtually all age groups. “Due to social and cultural issues, men are more exposed to certain risk factors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity and obesity. In addition, they have less adherence to preventive examinations, which increases the incidence of several diseases, including prostate cancer,” explains Dr. Linné.
Symptoms
The urologist warns that when it is at a more advanced stage, the tumor may show non-specific signs and symptoms, such as: frequent urination (need to urinate more frequently than normal), weak or interrupted urinary flow, urge urinating frequently at night (nocturia), blood in the urine or semen, erectile dysfunction, hip pain, back pain, broken bones or pain if the disease has spread to the bones, and weakness or numbness when the disease metastasizes exert pressure on the nerve roots of the spine.
“The Blue November campaign is a movement that is almost 20 years old. We hope that this action will encourage an increasing number of men to consult the doctor regularly, thus reducing the number of cases and deaths caused by the disease”, concludes the urologist.
Unimed Sorocaba has state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology to diagnose and treat patients with prostate cancer. The cooperative also has highly qualified urologists and oncologists and a multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, psychologists, nutritionists, pharmacists, among other professionals who care for and welcome patients at all stages of treatment.
About Unimed Sorocaba
Considered the largest health cooperative system in the world, Unimed do Brasil is made up of 341 cooperatives. Together, they bring together 118,000 doctors, 18 million beneficiaries and 135 own hospitals. Unimed Sorocaba is part of the group classified as large, as it has more than 115,000 direct customers in its portfolio, in addition to another 79,000 served through exchanges. The cooperative has several service points such as the Unimed Sorocaba – Dr. Miguel Soeiro Hospital, Comprehensive Health Care Center (NAIS), Intercâmbio, North Zone Advanced Unit (24-hour care service and emergency room located at Shopping Cidade), Iguatemi Unit (care and commercial service located at the Iguatemi Esplanada Shopping Center) and JK Unit, in addition to 3 pharmacies and a medicine distribution center. The cooperative also has service points in the towns of Boituva, Piedade, Porto Feliz. Currently, the establishment is made up of approximately 1,200 collaborating physicians and more than 2,800 employees. Unimed Sorocaba Hospital – Dr. Miguel Soeiro is one of the most modern of the 135 hospital institutions of the national Unimed system. For this reason, it is considered a reference, capable of performing very complex surgeries, including eight types of organ transplants – such as heart, liver, bone marrow, among others.
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