Prostate Cancer

The presence of non-skin cancers in America has brought a certain amount of awareness to its citizens, but there is a need for more awareness where Prostate Cancer is concerned. Among American men, Prostate Cancer is the most common form of non-skin cancer. Nearly one in six American men will find themselves facing a diagnosis of Prostate Cancer at some point, which makes men thirty-five percent more likely to face a diagnosis of Prostate Cancer than women will be to face a diagnosis of Breast Cancer.

Detection, Diagnosis and Staging of Prostate Cancer

Nearly ninety-percent over prostate cancer cases are detected while the tumor is still confined within the prostate itself, or within its immediate environment. The good news is that almost one-hundred percent of all men who are diagnosed at this stage of prostate cancer can be cured of this disease after receiving treatment. Unfortunately, men who are in this very early stage of prostate cancer do not exhibit signs or symptoms of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is usually detected through a blood test called the PSA or,'Prostate-Specific Antigen,' test, or through a digital rectal exam (DRE).

In order to make a diagnosis of prostate cancer, a biopsy must be done of the prostate itself. The cells taken from the biopsy are then examined, and additional imaging tests are done that help doctors to make a diagnosis. The testing results also help the doctor to determine the stage the prostate cancer is at.

Treating Prostate Cancer

When Prostate Cancer is in the early stage, it is many times treated with active surveillance, or possibly surgery, and perhaps radiation treatment. While pursuing active surveillance doctors monitor the cancer closely through regular PSA blood testing and additional examinations until making a decision to treat the prostate cancer with surgery or radiation treatment. If a prostatectomy is performed, the prostate itself and the tissue surrounding it are removed surgically. The doctor may also choose to pursue radiation therapy. Should the doctor choose to pursue radiation therapy they will direct radiation at prostate cancer cells. This is done using high-intensity radiation beams, or with radiation-emitting pellets that are implanted.

Treatment of Advanced Prostate Cancer

Testosterone in men is known to promote the growth of Prostate Cancer, and for men who have advanced Prostate Cancer, hormone therapy to lower the levels of testosterone is a typical form of treatment. Chemotherapy is another form of treatment used for men with advanced Prostate Cancer. Chemotherapy helps to distribute cancer-destroying medicines throughout the body. There are also specialized therapies doctors use to target Prostate Cancer that has affected bones.

Prostate Cancer Research and the Future

The Prostate Cancer Foundation, government agencies, and biopharmaceutical companies continue to invest in research into Prostate Cancer. Due to their efforts new treatments and therapies also continue to be studied in research laboratories and through clinical trials throughout the nation.

Further Information Regarding Prostate Cancer

66% of Prostate Cancer Patients do not need Treatment
Globally, prostate cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and accounts for 13% of male deaths in the UK. Studies have shown that men with non-aggressive prostate cancer can live with the disease untreated for many years, but aggressive cancer requires immediate treatment.

Prostate Cancer Patients Disease Free After 5 years Likely to be Disease Free After 10 Years
Prostate cancer patients who receive brachytherapy and remain free of disease for five years or greater are unlikely to have a recurrence at 10 years, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Green Tea may Affect Prostate Cancer Progression
According to results of a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds in green tea demonstrated a significant reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression.

Dramatic Outcomes in Prostate Cancer Study - Mayo Clinic
Two Mayo Clinic patients whose prostate cancer had been considered inoperable are now cancer free thanks in part to an experimental drug therapy that was used in combination with standardized hormone treatment and radiation therapy.

MRI Effective for Determining Pathologic Stage of Prostate Cancer
In patients with prostate cancer undergoing prostatectomy, MR imaging plays an important role in determining if the cancer is restricted to the prostate gland or if it has spread beyond the capsule, according to a study performed at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.

Discovery May Lead to Improved Prostate Cancer Test
A newly discovered gene fusion is highly expressed in a subset of prostate cancers, according to a study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. The findings, reported in the April 1 issue of Cancer Research, may lead to more accurate tests for prostate cancer.

Drug Shows Activity in Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer
A new multi-center study shows that an experimental drug lowers prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, a marker for tumor growth, in men with advanced prostate cancer for whom traditional treatment options have failed.

Early Stage Prostate Cancer Results Favorable for Radiation Treatment
Preliminary results show that a shortened course of radiation therapy for prostate cancer called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) provides good PSA response for early-stage prostate cancer and has the same side effects as other treatments.