Article
Prostate Cancer
In this article:
Prostate cancer is the number one form of cancer diagnosis in American men (other than skin cancer) and the second
leading cause of cancerous deaths in men. According to the American Cancer Society more than 330,000 new cases of this disease will
be diagnosed in the United States this year. One out of every 10 men will develop the disease at sometime in his life
time. Over 80% of all prostate cancers diagnosis are in men over the age of 65. 180,000 men will be newly diagnosed with prostate cancer this year alone
of which 37,000 will die.
The prostate is a gland of the male reproductive system. It is a small, walnut-sized organ located between the bladder (the organ that stores urine) and
the urethra (the tube that carries urine to the outside of the body). The prostate is largely made of muscular and glandular tissues. Its main function is to
produce fluid for semen which transports sperm.
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that most often begins in the outer part of the prostate. As the tumor grows, it may spread to the inner part
of the prostate. Cancer that is confined within the prostate and has not spread is called localized prostate cancer. Like other cancers, prostate cancer
can spread (metastasize), first locally in the tissues around the prostate or into the seminal vesicles (sac-like structures attached to the prostate). Locally
advanced cancers may spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes or bones.
Early prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms. When symptoms of prostate cancer do occur, they may include some of the following problems:
A need to urinate frequently especially at night Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine; Inability to urinate; Weak or interrupted flow of urine; Painful or burning urination; Painful ejaculation; Blood in urine or semen; and/or Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
Any of these symptoms may be caused by cancer or by other, less serious health problems such as BPH or an infection. Only a doctor can
determine that cause. A man who has symptoms like these should see his family doctor or a urologist (a doctor who specializes in treating diseases
of the genitourinary system). Do not wait to feel pain; early prostate cancer does not cause pain.
If cancer is found in the prostate, the doctor needs to know the stage, or extent, of the disease. Staging is a careful attempt to find out
whether they cancer has spread and, if so, what parts of the body as affected.
The doctor may use various blood and imagining tests to learn the stage of the disease. Treatment decisions vary according to test results.
The results of staging tests help the doctor decide which stage best describes a patient’s disease.
- Stage I(A) – The cancer cannot be detected by rectal exam and causes no symptoms. The cancer is usually found during surgery to
relieve problems with urination. Stage I tumors may be in more than one area of the prostate, but there is no evidence of outside the prostate.
- Stage II(B) – The tumor is felt in the rectal exam or detected by a blood test, but there is no evidence that the cancer has spread outside the prostate.
- Stage III(C) – The cancer has spread outside the prostate to nearby tissues.
- Stage IV(D) – Cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body.
Decisions about prostate cancer treatment are complex. It may be helpful to have the opinion of more than one doctor. Before
starting treatment, men may want to have a second doctor review their diagnosis and treatment options.
These are some questions a patient may want to ask the doctor before treatment begins:
- What is the stage of the disease?
- What is the grade of the disease?
- Do I need to be treated?
- What are the treatment choices?
- What do you recommend for me?
- What are the expected benefits of each kind of treatment?
- What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment?
- Is treatment likely to affect my sex life?
- Am I likely to have urinary problems?
The causes of prostate cancer are not yet understood. Researchers are looking at factors that may increase the risk of this disease. The more they
can learn about these risk factors, the better the chance of finding ways to prevent and treat prostate cancer.
Studies in the United States show that prostate cancer is found mainly in men over age 55. This disease is more common in black men than
in white men. In fact, black men in the United States have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world. Doctors cannot explain why one man gets
prostate cancer and another does not, but they do know that no one can “catch” prostate cancer from another person. Prostate cancer is not
contagious.
For more additional information about Prostate Cancer call the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-422-6237.
(Men’s Health Network)
-
Prostate cancer is diagnosed every 2 ½ minutes, approximately 200,000 new
cases each year. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in America among
men.
-
Nearly 40,000 American men lose their lives to prostate cancer each year,
one death every fifteen minutes.
-
Prostate cancer incidence rates increased 192% between 1973 and 1992.
-
One in six American men is at lifetime risk of prostate cancer. If a close
relative has prostate cancer, a man’s risk of the disease more than doubles.
With two relatives, his risk increases fivefold. With three close relatives,
his risk is about 97%.
-
In the next 24 hours, prostate cancer will claim the lives of over 100
American men.
-
Prostate cancer represents 29% of all new cancer cases in American men.
This year, more cases of prostate cancer in men under the age of 65 are expected than the combined number of ages who are victims of leukemia,
Hodgkin’s disease, melanoma, and brain tumors.
-
African American men have the highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality
rates in the world. The incidence rate is about 35% - 50% higher than –
and mortality rate double – that of Caucasian males, who have the second
highest rate.
-
African-American men have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer
and are twice as likely to die from it as other men with the cancer.
-
During this year alone, 18,500 African-American men will be diagnosed with
prostate cancer.
-
6,100 African-American will die from prostate cancer this year.
-
Prostate cancer death and occurrence rates among African-Americans are
higher than other racial or ethnic populations in the United States.
-
In 1999, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in African-American men was
prostate cancer (29%).
-
Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among African-American
men.
-
Although prostate cancer incidence rates are high in whites, the rate for
African-Americans is even higher – 50% higher than the incidence in white
men.
|
|
