Prostate cancer: disease revealed by Lito Sousa kills 48 men a day in Brazil; Early diagnosis guarantees a high chance of cure

g1 Influencer and aviation expert Lito Sousa, 59, was undergoing regular routine exams when he discovered prostate cancer. Changes in PSA led to a more detailed investigation, which confirmed an adenocarcinoma of intermediate aggressiveness. The treatment chosen was surgery, indicated because the disease remains restricted to the prostate. When sharing the diagnosis on social media, Lito said that he always maintained medical follow-up, including a rectal exam, but that previous exams had not identified the tumor. "I have always taken care of myself and have routine exams, including the one that many men refuse to do. And, even with a routine check-up, it was not possible to identify what I recently discovered before," he said. In the early stages, prostate cancer rarely causes symptoms. Often, the diagnosis arises after discrete changes in routine exams or during a complementary investigation. g1 in 1 Minute: Prostate cancer, the disease that killed Scott Adams, is the most common tumor among men in Brazil Even with a high chance of cure when discovered early, prostate cancer continues to be an important public health problem. According to the Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU), 17,587 men died from the disease in 2024, equivalent to 48 deaths per day. In ten years, mortality increased by 21%. When the tumor is identified before it spreads to other organs, however, the cure rate exceeds 90%. The most common tumor among men Prostate cancer is the most common type among Brazilian men, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer. The National Cancer Institute (INCA) estimates around 71,700 new cases per year in the country. Most occur after the age of 50, but registrations among younger patients are also growing. Data from the Ministry of Health show that visits related to the disease in men up to 49 years old increased by 32% between 2020 and 2024, going from 2,500 to 3,300 procedures carried out by the SUS. For urologist Rafael Ambar, from Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual (HSPE), part of this increase reflects greater access to diagnosis. "This increase shows that men are arriving earlier, which is positive. More tests and more diagnoses mean more chances of a cure," he says. According to the general director of INCA, Roberto Gil, the growth in registered cases is mainly related to the aging of the population and the expansion of access to exams. "This growth reflects the greater capacity of the health system to detect and record cases that previously went unnoticed, and not a proportional increase in the individual risk of the disease." Why the disease often goes unnoticed

AdobeStock The prostate is a gland located below the bladder and responsible for producing part of the liquid that makes up semen. Cancer arises when cells in this organ begin to multiply in a disorderly way. In many cases, growth is slow and remains restricted to the prostate for years. The most common type is adenocarcinoma, the same one diagnosed in Lito. It develops in the glandular cells of the prostate and represents the vast majority of cases. The main challenge is that, at the beginning, the tumor rarely causes noticeable changes. "Prostate cancer is silent. When it presents symptoms, it is usually at an advanced stage", explains urologist Luiz Otávio Torres, president of the Brazilian Society of Urology. When symptoms appear, they may include: difficulty urinating; weak or interrupted urinary stream; blood in urine or semen; pain when urinating; pain in the bones, especially in the spine and hips. These signs may also be related to benign prostate diseases. Therefore, only medical evaluation can determine the cause. How the diagnosis is made

Reproduction No single test can confirm or rule out prostate cancer. PSA is a blood test that measures a protein produced by the gland. Changes may be related to cancer, but also to benign prostate enlargement or inflammation. Rectal examination allows you to assess the size, consistency and presence of nodules that do not always raise PSA. When suspected, the urologist usually requests a multiparametric MRI to locate suspicious areas. Confirmation of the diagnosis is made through biopsy, a procedure that removes small fragments of the prostate for analysis in the laboratory. Men with a family history of prostate, breast or colorectal cancer should talk to a urologist about starting screening at age 40. For others, this assessment usually begins at age 45, considering age, life expectancy and risk factors. Treatment depends on the stage of the disease. The therapeutic strategy varies depending on the aggressiveness of the tumor, the patient's age and the extent of the disease. In low-risk cases, some patients can be monitored under active surveillance, without the need for immediate treatment. When the tumor remains localized, the main options are surgery to remove the prostate or radiotherapy. In cases where the disease spreads to other organs, treatment can combine hormone therapy, chemotherapy and more modern medications, such as new generation hormone blockers and radiopharmaceuticals, capable of slowing the progression of cancer and increasing survival. "It is the disease that best responds to early diagnosis. What saves lives is regular monitoring, not luck", summarizes Maurício Cordeiro, coordinator of the Department of Uro-Oncology at the Brazilian Society of Urology. The discovery of the tumor in Lito occurred before the appearance of symptoms and while the disease was still restricted to the prostate — a scenario that offers the best treatment prospects and reinforces the importance of discussing screening with the doctor, taking into account age, family history and risk factors.

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