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Experts in the medical field have stated that more than 2,000 men in Malaga province - and 10,000 in the Andalucía region as a whole - will be diagnosed with some type of genitourinary cancer (prostate, bladder, kidney or testicular) in 2025. The figure is slightly higher than the one registered in 2023. The good news, however, is that eight out of every ten of these patients will recover, thanks to the latest advances in cancer treatments and the improvements in early detection techniques that have been made in recent years. These techniques aim to "improve the diagnosis, survival and quality of life" of patients with these types of tumours.
The incorporation of several new drugs and therapies over the last few years has already shown good results in treating different stages of prostate, bladder and kidney cancer. This was the main topic discussed during a meeting organised by Andalucía's society of medical oncology (SAOM), which was held in Granada this month. The association, with the collaboration of Dr Raquel Luque from the medical oncology service of the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada, brought together medical oncologists from all over Andalucía.
"These are tumours that continue to grow in incidence every year, mimicking the increase in cancer in general, and which affect exclusively (in the case of prostate and testicles) or mostly (in the case of bladder and kidney) the male population, particularly in older age groups. That is why it is important to raise awareness among men so that if they have any symptoms or warning signs related to any of these areas of the body, they can go to their primary care doctor, where a diagnosis can be made and, if necessary, treatment can be started as soon as possible, to increase the chances of cure and survival, as well as the quality of life of the patients," said Dr. Álvaro Montesa, coordinator of SAOM's genitourinary tumours unit and oncologist at Malaga's regional hospital.
As experts point out, some of the latest outstanding therapies applied during the treatment of genitourinary tumours include treatment with PARP inhibitors for prostate cancer patients with BRCA gene mutations, which has shown significant benefits, as it has already been doing in breast and ovarian cancer cases; or immunotherapy treatments for patients with early-stage bladder and kidney cancer or for those patients that have already been treated with the aim of preventing relapse. Dr. Montesa also highlighted the introduction of immunoconjugated drugs in bladder cancer, such as enfortumab vedotin.
Prostate cancer
In recent years, it has become even more evident that among genitourinary tumours, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Spain, ahead of colorectal, lung and bladder cancer, and the third most common cancer mortality rate in the male population. On the brighter side, survival rates have increased significantly and now stand at 90%, as is the case of testicular cancer. Survival rate for both prostate and testicular cancer have doubled in the last four decades. In Spain, more than 30,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2024, more than 5,000 of them in Andalucía - a figure that is expected to be maintained in 2025. The cases registered in Malaga city were 1,122 in 2024.
As for bladder cancer, another frequent genitourinary tumour in men, 2025 expects the diagnosis of more than 3,000 new cases in Andalucía. Kidney and testicular tumours have a lower incidence than prostate and bladder tumours, although some 1,200 cases of both are forecast in Andalucía for 2025.
Therapies
From Spain's SEOM association of oncology, experts stated that, in recent years, the evolution in the treatment of genitourinary tumours has been important, especially due to the fact that Andalucía has hospitals that are a "reference", both in the application of the most advanced therapies and in the development of clinical trials, the results of which are opening up new possibilities for the future. "The multidisciplinary approach in collaboration with other specialists, such as urologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, nuclear physicians, pathologists or primary care and palliative care physicians, among others, is contributing significantly to this progress in the diagnosis and treatment of this type of tumour," said Dr. Raquel Luque.
For the SAOM oncologists, it is also especially important to stress the importance of prevention, highlighting the risk factors for this type of tumour and for any type of cancer in general: smoking, drinking alcohol, lack of healthy lifestyle habits or physical exercise, sedentary lifestyle. In the case of prostate cancer, in addition to age, hereditary predisposition presents one of the main risk factors, so men who show any symptoms of the disease, especially if they have or have had direct family members with this type of cancer, are advised to consult their family doctor for a check-up.
Early detection is also important in testicular cancer, so it is recommended that any lump or strange sign in this area is communicated to the primary care doctor.
In the case of bladder and kidney cancer prevention, Andalucían oncologists stress the importance of not smoking and leading a healthy lifestyle, supported by a balanced diet and nutrition, as well as regular physical exercise, in order to avoid obesity and excess body mass index, which is a relevant risk factor, especially in the case of kidney cancer.
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