Studies on prostatism of males fifty years of age and older--analysis on results of a second mass screening for prostatic diseases in Tanno town

We conducted a second mass screening for prostatism on males 50 years of age and older in the Tanno town area, to determine the incidence of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and prostatic carcinoma. We also studied how often elderly males had symptoms related to prostatism according to their age. The incidence of BPH was 10.0% in these males who were received the first and/or second mass screening as well as those treated previously, when BPH was defined as the prostate with a moderately or greater enlarged size upon digital palpation. The incidence of BPH was 8.9% in males fifty years of age and older who lived in Tanno town. The figures tended to elevate with the advance of age. Two new patients with prostatic carcinoma were discovered during this second mass screening, which resulted in a total of 8 patients discovered in this area. Of these 8 patients, 6 had been found in the first screening. The incidence of prostatic carcinoma was 1.4% in those males who received the first or second mass screening as well as those treated previously, and that in all the males who lived in the town was 1.0%. Further efforts will be necessary to establish a more convenient system that can provide less costly screening procedures and more effective diagnostic procedures to detect localized prostatic carcinoma. With advance in age the male tended to have a higher incidence of prostate with a moderately or markedly enlarged size, and symptoms related to prostatism. In addition, the urinary flow rate tended to decrease, irrespective of the prostate size. The results supported the significance of mass screening for prostatism.