Prostate cancer incidence in Belgium is below the European average of 153.9 per 100,000 population, at a rate of 139.9 per 100,000.1 The age-adjusted incidence of prostate cancer decreased in Belgium between 2006 and 2017, despite being the most frequently diagnosed cancer amongst men.2 To note is that national data can in some instances deviate from international datasets. According to the most recent Belgian Cancer registry data from 2017, the crude rate is 171.6 per 100,000.3
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1 European Cancer Information System (ECIS). Estimates of cancer incidence and mortality in 2020. Accessible at https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/explorer.php?$0-0$1-All$2-All$4-1$3-34$6-0,85$5-2008,2008$7-7$CEstByCountry$X0_8-3$X0_19-AE27$X0_20-No$CEstBySexByCountry$X1_8-3$X1_19-AE27$X1_-1-1$CEstByIndiByCountry$X2_8-3$X2_19-AE27$X2_20-No$CEstRelative$X3_8-3$X3_9-AE27$X3_19-AE27$CEstByCountryTable$X4_19-AE27 (last accessed February 2022)
2 Healthy Belgium. Cancer – for a Healthy Belgium. 24 July 2020. Accessible at https://www.healthybelgium.be/en/health-status/non-communicable-diseases/cancer (last accessed February 2022)
3 Belgian Cancer Registry. Cancer Burden in Belgium 2004-2017. 2020. Accessible at https://kankerregister.org/media/docs/CancerBurdenfeb2020reduced.pdf (last accessed February 2022)
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
European Cancer Information System (ECIS). Estimates of cancer incidence and mortality in 2020. Accessible at https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/explorer.php?$0-0$1-All$2-All$4-1$3-34$6-0,85$5-2008,2008$7-8$CEstByCountry$X0_8-3$X0_19-AE27$X0_20-No$CEstBySexByCountry$X1_8-3$X1_19-AE27$X1_-1-1$CEstByIndiByCountry$X2_8-3$X2_19-AE27$X2_20-No$CEstRelative$X3_8-3$X3_9-AE27$X3_19-AE27$CEstByCountryTable$X4_19-AE27 (last accessed March 2022)
At 28.6 per 100,000 people, mortality rates for prostate cancer in Belgium are below the EU27 average of 32.1 per 100,000 population, and significantly below countries like Estonia and Sweden.1
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1 European Cancer Information System (ECIS). Estimates of cancer incidence and mortality in 2020. Accessible at https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/explorer.php?$0-0$1-All$2-All$4-1$3-34$6-0,85$5-2008,2008$7-8$CEstByCountry$X0_8-3$X0_19-AE27$X0_20-No$CEstBySexByCountry$X1_8-3$X1_19-AE27$X1_-1-1$CEstByIndiByCountry$X2_8-3$X2_19-AE27$X2_20-No$CEstRelative$X3_8-3$X3_9-AE27$X3_19-AE27$CEstByCountryTable$X4_19-AE27 (last accessed February 2022)
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
European Cancer Information System (ECIS). Estimates of cancer incidence and mortality in 2020. Accessible at https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/explorer.php?$0-0$1-All$2-All$4-1$3-34$6-0,85$5-2008,2008$7-8$CEstByCountry$X0_8-3$X0_19-AE27$X0_20-No$CEstBySexByCountry$X1_8-3$X1_19-AE27$X1_-1-1$CEstByIndiByCountry$X2_8-3$X2_19-AE27$X2_20-No$CEstRelative$X3_8-3$X3_9-AE27$X3_19-AE27$CEstByCountryTable$X4_19-AE27 (last accessed March 2022)
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
1 Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7. Accessible at https://www.efpia.eu/publications/cancer-comparator-report/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/ (last accessed March 2022)
2 Belgian Cancer Registry. Cancer Burden in Belgium 2004-2017. 2020. Accessible at https://kankerregister.org/media/docs/CancerBurdenfeb2020reduced.pdf (last accessed March 2022)
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7. Accessible at https://www.efpia.eu/publications/cancer-comparator-report/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/ (last accessed March 2022)
While prostate cancer is not mentioned specifically, cancer formed part of the 2015-2019 Chronic Diseases Integrated Care Plan. An overview of cancer initiatives in Belgium, ranging from prevention to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation can be found on the website of the Belgian Cancer Centre.
Belgian clinicians follow the European Association of Urology’s clinical guidelines for prostate cancer. The recommended care pathway, includes patient access to*:
Legend:
Recommendation included
Recommendation not included
Access to Specialists
In Belgium, there are approximately 22,500 inhabitants to every 1 urologist.1,2 This is a higher number of urologists than in neighbouring France3 and the Netherlands,4 where there are approximately 44,000 and 47,000 inhabitants respectively per every 1 urologist.
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
1 Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environmen. HWF STATAN 2019 (detailed statistics). 2019. Accessible at https://organesdeconcertation.sante.belgique.be/fr/documents/hwf-statan-2019-statistiques-detaillees (last accessed March 2022)
2 United Nations, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Population Prospects 2019. Accessible at https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/
EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2019_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx (last accessed March 2022)
3 European Society of Residents in Urology (ESRU). France. March 2018. Accessible at https://esru.eu/?q=france (last accessed March 2022)
4 European Society of Residents in Urology (ESRU). Netherlands. March 2018. Accessible at https://esru.eu/?q=netherlands (last accessed March 2022)
Cost of cancer
In 2018, the direct cost of cancer in Belgium was €284 per person,1 higher than the European average of €154 per person.2 Whilst a number of factors contribute to improved outcomes for those affected by prostate cancer, studies have shown that those countries that invest more in cancer care tend to achieve better outcomes for patients.3
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1 Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7. Accessible at https://www.efpia.eu/publications/cancer-comparator-report/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/ (last accessed March 2022)
2 Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7. Accessible at https://www.efpia.eu/publications/cancer-comparator-report/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/ (last accessed March 2022) – average calculated from data included for individual countries
3 Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7
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1 Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7. Accessible at https://www.efpia.eu/publications/cancer-comparator-report/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/ (last accessed March 2022)
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
*Different data sources were used for Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Romania and the UK, which may use data from different years. See references below. No data was found for Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta and Slovakia.
European Society of Residents in Urology (ESRU). Countries. March 2018. Accessible at https://esru.eu/?q=countries (last accessed March 2022)
Federal Public Service of Public Health, Safety of the Food Chain and the Environment. HWF STATAN 2019 (detailed statistics). 2019. Accessible at https://organesdeconcertation.sante.belgique.be/fr/documents/hwf-statan-2019-statistiques-detaillees (last accessed March 2022)
Boszormenyi-Nagy, G. Report on urological inpatient care based on 2018 data. Urologia Hungarica. Accessible at http://urologiahungarica.hu/index.php/2020/05/12/beszamolo-az-urologiai-fekvobeteg-ellatasrol-a-2018-as-adatok-alapjan/ (last accessed March 2022)
I.Stat. Personale sanitario. Accessible at http://dati.istat.it/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=DCIS_PERS_SANIT (last accessed March 2022)
Institutul National De Statistica. Activitatea Unitatilor Sanitare in Anul 2019. 2020. Accessible at https://insse.ro/cms/sites/default/files/field/publicatii/activitatea_unitatilor_sanitare_anul_2019.pdf (last accessed March 2022)
United Nations, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Population Prospects 2019. Accessible at https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/
WPP2019_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx (last accessed March 2022)
British Association of Urological Surgeons and The Specialist Advisory Committee in Urology. Workforce Report. 2018. Accessible at https://www.baus.org.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/publications/
Workforce_Report_Sep%202018%20ver%201.1.pdf (last accessed March 2022)
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7. Accessible at https://www.efpia.eu/publications/cancer-comparator-report/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/ (last accessed March 2022)
Links to external websites are provided as a resource to the viewer. We accept no responsibility for the content or services of the linked site other than the information or other materials provided or reviewed by the LTPC expert group members
Hofmarcher, T et al. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe in 2019. IHE Report 2019:7. Accessible at https://www.efpia.eu/publications/cancer-comparator-report/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/ (last accessed March 2022)
Prostate cancer organisations in Belgium include:
Us Too Belgium
https://wijook.be/
Reference Number: ONC_2021_0137_BE
Date of preparation: January 2022
