The Israel Cancer Association marks Prostate Cancer Awareness Day 2020

The Israel Cancer Association marks Prostate Cancer Awareness Day 2020

• Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer disease amongst men in Israel
  
  
• Between 2007-2017, a clear downward trend was seen in prostate cancer incidence

• 2,256 new cases of invasive prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2017
  
  
• The survival rate from the disease is at approx. 97%

• Morbidity peaks between the ages of 70-74. Less than 1% of the diagnosed cases are under the age of 50
  
  

• Israel is ranked 36 in the world in morbidity, and number 90 in mortality.
  
  

A new research found that the risk of prostate cancer patients who have undergone hormonal treatment to contract the coronavirus is 28% less than those who received other treatments.

World renowned Israeli chef Eyal Shani enlisted in promoting the fight against prostate cancer, following a new research that shows that high consumption of cooked tomatoes may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 28%

On September 15th, Israel and the entire world mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Day. Ahead of this day, The ICA along with the Ministry of Health, publish the most updated statistics, showing that prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer disease amongst men (and others); the first most common type of cancer among Jewish men and the second most common type of cancer, after lung cancer, in Arab men.

Prof. Lital Keinan-Boker, Director of the Israel Center for Disease Control (ICDC) at the Ministry of Health reported the latest statistics as of 2017:
 
The most updated statistic as of 2017:

Due to the complexity of data collection, the most updated statistics at the National Cancer Registry as of today refers to 2017.

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer disease amongst men in Israel. In 2017, 2,256 new cases of invasive prostate cancer were diagnosed.

As of 31.12.2017, 9,626 men living in Israel were diagnosed with invasive prostate cancer between 2013-2017: 9,092 Jewish and others and 534 Arabs.

• The risk of prostate cancer is higher in Jewish and other man compared to Arab men and increases with age (less than 1% of the patients is diagnosed under the age of 50.) Most of the morbidity in both population groups is in men aged 65 and up.
  
  
• The incidence of new cases diagnosed between 1996-2017 shows a clear increase until the mid-2000's among both population groups (Jews and others, Arabs) and a clear downward trend following that. However, the rates among Jewish men and others are higher than those among Arab men throughout the entire period. These trends correlate to the availability of the PSA test in Israel, starting from the early 90's (PSA - Prostate Specific Antigen – a protein produced in the prostate gland cells. A high level of PSA does not necessarily pose a problem, however, it may indicate a possible problem in the prostate gland, which requires medical attention. PSA tests are still not accurate enough.) In 2002, new guidelines were published, instructing to avoid a deliberate screening in the population at normal risk of developing the disease. The downward trend in incidence rates amongst men in Israel in recent years seems to reflect these changes as well.
  
  
• The relative 5-year survival rate is very high in Jews and others who were diagnosed between 2007-2011 (96.8%). In Arab men diagnosed during that same period, the relative 5-year survival rate is 86.3%. These rates are high compared to equivalent rate amounts those diagnosed between 2001-2006 (94.3% and 84.3%, respectively.) These disparities may reflect, among other things, a higher rate of over-diagnosis compared to Arabs.
  
  
• Prostate cancer is the third most prevalent cancer disease in Israel in terms of cancer mortality. In 2017, 479 men died of the disease. The majority of mortality was seen in ages 75+ in both population groups.
  
  
• Prostate cancer mortality trends during 1996-2017 have shown a clear drop in Jewish and Arab men throughout the period.
  
  

  International comparison
  
  
  

  • According to the World Health Organization statistics (Globocan 2018), prostate cancer is the second most prevalent cancer disease in men worldwide in incidence (1,276,106 news cases in 2018) after lung cancer, and the fifth most prevalent worldwide in mortality (358,989 death cases in 2018) after lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. 
  • Compared to countries with the highest prostate cancer incidence rates worldwide, Israel is ranked 36 (244.6 per 100,000). The countries ranked first on the chart were Australia (579.9 per 100,000), New Zealand (526.0 per 100,000), Ireland (438.0 per 100,000), Hungary (427.1 per 100,000), France (405.6 per 100,000) and the U.S. (393.2 per 100,000).
    
    
  • Compared to countries with the highest prostate cancer mortality rates worldwide, Israel is ranked 90 (104.7 per 100,000). The countries ranked first on the chart were Mongolia (221.6 per 100,000), Hungary (203.2 per 100,000) and Moldova (191.8 per 100,000).  

  
  
  

  Prof. Lital Keinan-Boker, Director of the Israel Center for Disease Control (ICDC) at the Ministry of Health: "In 2017, prostate cancer constituted 8.4% of the total male cancer mortality in Israel. The incidence rate of new cases diagnosed and the mortality rate in Israel compared to other countries indicate that Israel is ranked relatively high in the rate of those diagnosed per year, but relatively low in terms of mortality.
  
  Moshe Bar-Haim, ICA Director General: "Many researchers proof that adopting a healthy lifestyle may help reduce the risk of developing different types of cancer, namely prostate cancer. Therefore, we restate our recommendation to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and high fiber foods; avoid easting high-calorie food rich in sugar and fat; minimize consumption of processed, smoked, fried, salted and canned food; reduce consumption of red meat; choose water over sweetened beverages. In addition, evidence shows that high intake of tomatoes – fresh or cooked, or tomato-based products – may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. It is also recommended to maintain a balanced body weight, engage in physical exercise and avoid smoking."  
  
  
  • Based on one of the latest researches on reducing the risk of prostate cancer, which shows a link between high consumption of cooked tomatoes and a 28% reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer, renowned Israeli chef Eyal Shani joined forces to help raise awareness of reducing the risk for prostate cancer. Shani filmed a special video for the ICA, in which he demonstrates one of the simplest, most delicious recipes for consuming cooked tomatoes: pasta with tomatoes and hot pepper prepared in 10 minutes.
    
    

    Renowned Israeli Chef Eyal Shani joins Prostate Cancer Awareness Day Marked in Israel and Worldwide on September 15
    
    
    

    Eyal Shani, the chef most identified with his love and usage of tomatoes in Israel, kindly agreed to join forces with the Israel Cancer Association in filming a short video in which he prepares a quick, delicious recipe for pasta with cooked tomatoes.

    Shani was addressed following a new research published by the Israel Cancer association ahead of prostate cancer awareness day, in which the frequent consumption of cooked tomatoes was found to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 28%. One of the reasons being that tomato is rich in lycopene, - a fat-soluble molecule mainly found in fruit and red vegetables and is responsible for their red color.

    Lycopene is a strong antioxidant and has been linked in many researches with the reduction of morbidity in general, and prostate cancer in particular. It was further found that lycopene can reduce the symptoms of prostate cancer, mainly pain reduction and relief in urination.

    Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer in Israeli men; the first most prevalent in Jews and the third most prevalent after lung and colorectal cancer in Arab men.

    Tomato is one of the fruits richest in lycopene (not the only one). In order to enable sufficient absorption of lycopene in the digestive system, it is important to consume the tomato after cooking it and with olive oil.

    Shani: "Healthy food is meaningful only if you consume it on a highly frequent basis. As far as tomatoes, a daily consumption is recommended. Therefore, it should be a dish that can be adopted for life. My recommendation is pasta in tomato sauce, a simple recipe that takes a few minutes to prepare, and is nutritious and healthy."
    
    
    

    Eyal Shani's recipe:

     

    Ingredients for one portion:

    Several fresh tomatoes chopped into cubes

    About 1/2 a green hot pepper (depending on how spicy you want it) sliced into rings

    1 large garlic clove chopped into cubes

    A packet of pasta

     

    Method:

    Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instruct8ions.

    Meanwhile, chop all the ingredients.

    In a large saucepan, pour a generous amount of olive oil and add the hot pepper while the oil is cold so it can absorb the spiciness and flavor of the pepper. When the oil heats up, add the garlic and 30 seconds later, the tomatoes. Season with salt and cook for a minute. The cooking time is sufficient to extract the lycopene, which, as said, is attributed to affect a reduction in the risk of prostate cancer and make it more available to the body.   

    Drain the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the sauce in the pan. A bit of the boiling water only enrich the sauce. Mix the pasta with the sauce in the pan, place on a plate and serve. You can garnish with a bit more olive oil on top.

     

    Bon Appetit and to stay healthy!