Desafios para o rastreamento do câncer de próstata na atenção primária: uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men and the fourth cause of premature death worldwide, affecting male health and identity. Screening is less effective than that for cervical cancer and is prevalent in developed countries. In Brazil, men over 40 years old, especially in the South and Southeast, are the most affected. Although PSA screening and rectal examination are recommended, there are concerns about overdiagnosis. The objective was to identify the challenges for prostate cancer screening in Primary Health Care. This work is an Integrative Literature Review, with searches carried out in national databases, using the Health Sciences Descriptors: "Social Problems", "Mass Screening", "Prostatic Neoplasms" and "Access to Primary Care." After filtering 132 articles, the analysis corpus was reduced to 13 publications. Prostate cancer screening in primary care faces stigma and lack of information. There are criticisms of overdiagnosis and proposals for more integrated approaches. Health professionals need to be trained to treat the issue sensitively, in addition to there being gaps in care for transgender women. It is concluded that the variability in prostate cancer screening guidelines makes effective screening in primary care difficult. Healthcare professionals must update themselves and critically evaluate these guidelines. Access to services is limited by bias and lack of information, making awareness and education essential to improve early detection.