With ageing, enlargement of the prostate gland, urinary incontinence and prostate cancer, as well as other cancers of the urinary tract, will arise. Prostate gland enlargement and prostate cancer are two common urological conditions seen in the developed world today. Urological diseases and the ageing population in Singapore In Singapore, the number of persons treated for prostate gland enlargement has increased almost two-fold in the last 15 years to about 1,500 in 1999. The majority were men more than 60 years of age. Studies have also shown that about 1 in 7 persons more than 60 years old in our population have urinary incontinence, especially among women.
Prostate cancer is most common among elderly men.
Since 1983, it is among the top ten cancers in Singaporean men. The incidence of prostate cancer has increased three-fold, from 4 per 100,000 population to 13 per 100,000 over the last 3 decades. Today, it has emerged as the sixth most common cancer among men. Another common condition is bladder cancer, which occurs mainly among older men. It is the tenth commonest cause of cancer among men.