[Demographic and epidemiological characterization of men with prostate cancer]

This study aimed to identify the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of men with prostate cancer, assisted at the Botucatu School Hospital/UNESP between January 1, 2000 and January 31, 2003. The data collected from 78 of 94 medical records included educational level, tobacco use, marital status, year of birth, diagnosis and symptoms. A quantitative method associated with descriptive statistics was used to this purpose. 50% of the patients had not concluded elementary school, 27.39% were non-smokers, 87% were married, 43% were aged 64-73 years, 27.58% were diagnosed in 2000, 63.2% were retired, 20.7% showed weak urine stream as a symptom. Only 20% had undergone preventive exams and 77.9% had not completed elementary school. Prostate cancer accounted for 7.34% of the cancer cases, showing an incidence of 73,4/1000. The study was conducted in this hospital for being a tertiary reference unit in the DIR XI(1). 80% of the patients sought care when symptoms of the disease were already present. This makes us believe that the population still lacks information about prostate cancer, mainly as refers to incidence and prevalence related to age as a risk factor. This study will contribute to improving the care delivered to these patients including early diagnosis and possible cure, thus improving their quality of life.