Prostate cancer: one in nine men is affected, but 90% can be cured

It fuels fears and doubts in men, but prostate cancer, thanks to prevention and early diagnosis, registers cure rates of over 90%. This is one of the data that emerged from the press conference presenting the national Nastro Blu 2025 campaign, promoted by Lilt - the Italian League for the Fight against Tumours - and dedicated to raising awareness and preventing the most frequent male oncological pathologies.

In Italy, one in every nine men is diagnosed with prostate cancer. This is the most widespread neoplasm of the male genital sphere, on which the minister Orazio Schillaci intervened with a video message, recalling how 'the promotion of primary and secondary prevention is a priority activity of the Ministry of Health, which will also be strengthened with the 2026 budget law', strengthening 'oncological screening programmes and broadening the age brackets for access to colorectal cancer screening'. Moreover, according to the minister, 'in line with the National Cancer Plan and European recommendations, we are also evaluating the possibility of progressively extending screening to other male cancers, for example prostate cancer. And we continue to finance the Italian network for lung cancer screening, which we want to include in the free programmes of the national health service as soon as possible'.

Figures show that there are 41,000 new cases of prostate cancer each year, accounting for more than 20% of male malignancies. The highest incidence occurs after the age of 65. The other unique male tumour sites are the testis and penis. Although testicular cancer accounts for just 1-3% of all male malignancies, it is the most frequent in the under-45 age group, with about 2,400 new cases per year. And thanks to available therapies, it is 90% more curable. Penile carcinoma, on the other hand, is a rare neoplasm (about 500 new cases each year in Italy), with a favourable prognosis in the event of early diagnosis: the average 5-year survival rate is 74%.

"Health is not just the absence of disease, but balance, responsibility and self-respect," said Francesco Schittulli, oncologist and national president of Lilt - "With the Nastro Blu campaign we want to remind people that prevention is a way of life: a daily journey that starts with awareness. In this sense, he added, 'Lilt is alongside people of all ages through its clinics. Health protection is not an abstract right, but a daily duty and a cultural act: this is why we continue to work to develop the culture of prevention, consolidating it in the psycho-social fabric of our country. Because prevention is cure'.

Schittulli was just back from a promotional tour of Lilt initiatives in Tuscany, the last stop being in Arezzo, where provincial president Andrea Barbieri told him that the blue ribbon initiative for men's prevention will be held on 26 November with an event dedicated to communication. From 15 to 30 November 2025, Lilt territorial associations will, in fact, set up a network of initiatives throughout Italy, with urological examinations, popular and scientific meetings, information panels, and activities in schools and workplaces.