[Cost-benefit effect of mass screening for prostatic disease on national economy]

A survey was made to determine how much mass screening for prostatic cancer (PC) and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) would benefit the nation economically. Presently in Japan, approximately 20,000 people are suffering from PC, approximately 0.2% of the male population over the age of 55. Approximately 37 billion yen is spent annually to treat them with current medical care. This amounts to approximately 0.3% of the annual national medical fee for all diseases and approximately 4% for malignant neoplasms. However, if all adult males participated in a mass screening program for prostatic cancer once every two years, a program already established by us, eradication of PC may be theoretically possible at the cost of approximately 31 billion yen per year. Mass screening for prostatic cancer will thus contribute highly to both the reduction of the national medical costs and the decrease of deaths from cancer. The nation also spends heavily on BPH. There is an urgent need to recognize that BPH is a heavy burden on the national economy, and to consider a proper counterplan.