The relevance of prostate cancer screening among Saudi men attending outpatient clinics of tertiary‑care hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer is a significant health‑care burden in both developing and under developed
countries. Efforts in Saudi Arabia may be hindered by the unclarity of awareness of predictors of early
prostate cancer screening, given the complexity of such screening.
Aims: The objective of this study was to assess awareness levels of early screening of prostate cancer and
its predictors among Saudi men.
Methods: A cross‑sectional participatory approach was used to assess the awareness levels of early screening
of prostate cancer among Saudi men within the age group for which early prostate cancer screening is
recommended.
Results: Participants were recruited out of those admitted to outpatient clinics of the five largest tertiary‑care
hospitals. Four hundred and eighteen Saudi outpatient men aged 40–65 years were interviewed. Of all
participants, 79.2% had heard of prostate cancer. When comparing eligible age groups, there was a significant
difference in the percentage of men who had not undergone prostate screening (P < 0.0001). Across all
eligible age groups, 65.8% of participants had not been advised to undergo prostate screening by their
primary care physicians. In each age group, more than 75% of men reported that they would consider early
screening for prostate cancer.
Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the percentages of men who would consider screening
if they presented lower urinary tract symptoms (P = 0.179). Data on the uptake of voluntary screening of
prostate cancer in Saudi Arabia are either inconclusive or insufficient. Therefore, it may be challenging to
interpret the awareness levels and surveillance strategies for this disease in Saudi Arabia.