Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men and is the second leading cause of death, especially in developed countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer and its relationship with the human development index (HDI). Materials and Methods: This is an ecological review of the incidence of prostate cancer and its relation with HDI and its components in 2018. Data about the incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer for the year 2018 were obtained from the global cancer project for 185 countries. To analyse data, correlation test and regression tests were used to evaluate the correlation between the incidence and mortality with HDI. The statistical analysis was carried out by Stata-14, and the significance level was estimated at the level of 0.05. Results: The result showed that there is a positive and significant correlation between the incidence (R = 0.531, P < 0.001) and mortality (R = -0.219, P < 0.001) of prostate cancer with HDI. The linear regression model showed that the increase in HDI, mean years of schooling (MYS), expected years of schooling (EYS), life expectancy at birth (LBE) and gross national income was associated with an increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in men, but it was statistically significant only in MYS (B = 3.6, P < 0.05) and EYS (B = 4.8, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the increase in life expectancy at birth (B = -0.45, P < 0.05) significantly decreased mortality. Conclusion: By increasing the HDI the incidence of prostate cancer increases, but the mortality rate decreases. Therefore, HDI can be used to provide a clear picture of the distribution of this cancer. Having a comprehensive picture of the epidemiological features and changes of prostate cancer has a significant role to play in preventing, diagnosing and treating early, and reducing mortality.