Hyderabad faces surge in advanced-stage prostate cancer cases

Hyderabad is witnessing a rise in advanced-stage prostate cancer due to low screening rates and lifestyle factors. Experts stress early detection and routine primary care integration as essential measures to reduce fatalities and improve survival outcomes.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad is facing a critical challenge in prostate cancer management, as a widening gap in early detection leads to a surge in advanced-stage diagnoses. According to data from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), prostate cancer now accounts for 6.9 per cent of all male cancers in the city.

The systemic delay in screening is proving costly; while Telangana is projected to record over 21,252 new cancer cases in men by 2026, the current screening rate remains alarmingly low at under 4 per cent, a press release said.

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This mismatch is fueled by both lifestyle factors and a tendency to normalise early warning signs. Rising obesity, smoking, and high-fat diets are driving incidence, yet symptoms like frequent or weak urination are often dismissed as routine signs of aging.

Consequently, a large proportion of patients present at Stage 4, where national data indicates a 65 per cent fatality rate. With the lifetime risk of cancer in Hyderabad now estimated at 1 in 8 for those aged 0 to 74, the urgency for early intervention has never been higher.

“Prostate cancer is not always aggressive initially, offering a clear window for life-saving detection,” says Dr Nikhil Suresh Ghadyalpatil, Director, Medical Oncology, Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills.

As India’s total cancer deaths are projected to hit 7,05,000 by 2026, Hyderabad’s struggle reflects a national crisis. Experts suggest that improving survival outcomes will depend less on medical breakthroughs and more on integrating prostate screening into routine primary care and treating subtle symptoms as urgent signals rather than inevitable parts of growing older, release added.