This study aimed to determine the incidence of prostate cancer in Turkey in a population-based sample, and to determine clinical and pathological characteristics of the cases. All newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients were included in this national, multi-centered, prospective and non- interventional epidemiological registry study conducted in 12 cities representing the 12 regions of Turkey from July 2008 to June 2009. The population-based sample comprised 4,150 patients with a recent prostate cancer diagnosis. Age-adjusted prostate cancer incidence rate was 35 cases per 100,000 in Turkey. At the time of diagnosis, median age was 68, median PSA level was 10.0 ng/mL. Digital rectal examination was abnormal in 36.2% of 3,218 tested cases. Most patients had urologic complaints. The main diagnostic method was transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy (87.8%). Gleason score was ≤6 in 49.1%, 7 in 27.8% and >7 in 20.6% of the cases. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between serum PSA level and Gleason score (p=0.000). The majority of patients (54.4%) had clinical stage T1c. This is the first population-based national data of incidence with the histopathological characteristics of prostate cancer in Turkey. Prostate cancer remains an important public health concern in Turkey with continual increase in the incidence and significant burden on healthcare resources.
Phenomenon: Physician immigration from other countries is increasing as developed countries continue to be desirable destinations for physicians; however, the determinants of Turkish physicians' migration decisions are still unclear. Despite its wide coverage in the media and among physicians in Türkiye, and being the subject of much debate, there is insufficient data to justify this attention. With this study, we aimed to investigate the tendency of senior medical students in Türkiye to pursue their professional careers abroad and its related factors. Approach: This cross-sectional study involved 9881 senior medical students from 39 different medical schools in Türkiye in 2022. Besides participants' migration decision, we evaluated the push and pull factors related to working, social environment and lifestyle in Türkiye and abroad, medical school education inadequacy, and personal insufficiencies, as well as the socioeconomic variables that may affect the decision to migrate abroad. The analyses were carried out with a participation rate of at least 50%. Findings: Of the medical students, 70.7% had emigration intentions. Approximately 60% of those want to stay abroad permanently, and 61.5% of them took initiatives such as learning a foreign language abroad (54.5%) and taking relevant exams (18.9%). Those who wanted to work in the field of Research & Development were 1.37 (95% CI: 1.22-1.54) times more likely to emigrate. The push factor that was related to emigration intention was the "working conditions in the country" (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.56-2.28) whereas the "social environment/lifestyle abroad" was the mere pull factor for the tendency of emigration (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.45-2.06). In addition, the quality problem in medical schools also had a significant impact on students' decisions (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.83-2.65). Insights: Although the percentage of those who want to emigrate "definitely" was at the same level as in the other developing countries, the tendency to migrate "permanently" was higher in Türkiye. Improving working conditions in the country and increasing the quality of medical faculties seem vital in preventing the migration of physicians.