http://ca.movember.com/mens-health/prostate-cancer/
PROSTATE CANCER
The Stats About Prostate Cancer:
What is Prostate Cancer?
The prostate is a gland found only in men and is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Prostate cancer occurs when cells within the prostate grow uncontrollably, creating small tumours. The term “cancer” refers to a condition in which the regulation of cell growth is lost and cells grow uncontrollably. Most cells in the body are constantly dividing, maturing and then dying in a tightly controlled process. Unlike normal cells, instead of dying, as they should cancer cells outlive normal cells and continue to form new, abnormal cells.
Abnormal cell growths are called tumours. The term “primary tumour” refers to the original tumour; secondary tumours are caused when the original cancer spreads to other locations in the body. Prostate cancer typically is comprised of multiple very small, primary tumours within the prostate. At this stage, the disease is often curable (rates of 90% or better) with standard interventions such as surgery or radiation that aim to remove or kill all cancerous cells in the prostate. Unfortunately, at this stage the cancer produces few or no symptoms and can be difficult to detect.
What is Metastatic Prostate Cancer?
Metastatic cancer is cancer that has spread from the place where it first started to another place in the body. If untreated and allowed to grow, the cells from these tumours can spread in a process called metastasis. In this process, prostate cancer cells are transported through the lymphatic system and the bloodstream to other parts of the body, where they lodge and grow secondary tumours. The most common sites of cancer metastasis are the lungs, bones and liver. Once the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, cure rates drop dramatically.
In most cases, prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing cancer, which means that it typically takes a number of years for the disease to become large enough to be detectable, and even longer to spread beyond the prostate.
This is good news. However, a small percentage of patients experience more rapidly growing, aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Unfortunately, it is difficult to know for sure which prostate cancers will grow slowly and which will grow aggressively – complicating treatment decisions.
The spread of cancer outside the prostate can be detected by the presence of prostate cancer cells in areas surrounding the prostate such as the seminal vesicle (glands near the bladder), lymph nodes in the groin area, the rectum and bones. When prostate cancer spreads to another site, such as bone, the new tumour is still considered to be prostate cancer, not bone cancer.
How common is Prostate Cancer?
1 in 7 men will be afflicted with prostate cancer, it is the most common cancer among Canadian men.
How curable is prostate cancer?
In the early stages, when the cancer cells are only in the prostate, the disease is very curable (cure rates of 90% or better) with surgery or radiation. Unfortunately, during the early stages of prostate cancer there are few symptoms. In fact, many men in the early stages of prostate cancer have no symptoms at all. Without regular testing (PSA & DRE), it is very difficult to find early stage prostate cancer.
If untreated, prostate cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body and produce secondary tumours (metastases). At this point, the chances of a cure are much lower. Yet being diagnosed with prostate cancer can be a life-altering experience. It requires making some very difficult decisions about treatments that can affect not only the life of the man diagnosed, but also the lives of his family members in significant ways for many years to come.
Risk Factors
When evaluating risk for prostate cancer it’s important to recognize that no one thing can lead to the disease and that there are a variety of factors that contributes to ones risk. Some factors are controllable like diet and weight while others like age, ethnicity and family history are out of your hands.
Additional Reading
If you want more information about prostate cancer check out www.prostatecancer.ca with further reading and resources available here.
References
National Cancer Institute [http://www.cancer.gov/]
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It accounts for over a quarter (27%) of new cancer cases in men.
1 in 7 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and the threat is greater for those with a family history of the disease.
Prostate cancer is over 90% curable -if detected and treated in its earliest stages.
Incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer in men are similar to those of breast cancer in women.
25,500 Canadian men will be diagnosed this year alone.
It is a far greater threat for those with a family history of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer develops as a result of dietary, environmental and heredity factors however more research is needed to identify its specific causes and to prevent the disease.
What is Prostate Cancer?
The prostate is a gland found only in men and is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Prostate cancer occurs when cells within the prostate grow uncontrollably, creating small tumours. The term “cancer” refers to a condition in which the regulation of cell growth is lost and cells grow uncontrollably. Most cells in the body are constantly dividing, maturing and then dying in a tightly controlled process. Unlike normal cells, instead of dying, as they should cancer cells outlive normal cells and continue to form new, abnormal cells.
Abnormal cell growths are called tumours. The term “primary tumour” refers to the original tumour; secondary tumours are caused when the original cancer spreads to other locations in the body. Prostate cancer typically is comprised of multiple very small, primary tumours within the prostate. At this stage, the disease is often curable (rates of 90% or better) with standard interventions such as surgery or radiation that aim to remove or kill all cancerous cells in the prostate. Unfortunately, at this stage the cancer produces few or no symptoms and can be difficult to detect.
What is Metastatic Prostate Cancer?
Metastatic cancer is cancer that has spread from the place where it first started to another place in the body. If untreated and allowed to grow, the cells from these tumours can spread in a process called metastasis. In this process, prostate cancer cells are transported through the lymphatic system and the bloodstream to other parts of the body, where they lodge and grow secondary tumours. The most common sites of cancer metastasis are the lungs, bones and liver. Once the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, cure rates drop dramatically.
In most cases, prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing cancer, which means that it typically takes a number of years for the disease to become large enough to be detectable, and even longer to spread beyond the prostate.
This is good news. However, a small percentage of patients experience more rapidly growing, aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Unfortunately, it is difficult to know for sure which prostate cancers will grow slowly and which will grow aggressively – complicating treatment decisions.
The spread of cancer outside the prostate can be detected by the presence of prostate cancer cells in areas surrounding the prostate such as the seminal vesicle (glands near the bladder), lymph nodes in the groin area, the rectum and bones. When prostate cancer spreads to another site, such as bone, the new tumour is still considered to be prostate cancer, not bone cancer.
How common is Prostate Cancer?
1 in 7 men will be afflicted with prostate cancer, it is the most common cancer among Canadian men.
How curable is prostate cancer?
In the early stages, when the cancer cells are only in the prostate, the disease is very curable (cure rates of 90% or better) with surgery or radiation. Unfortunately, during the early stages of prostate cancer there are few symptoms. In fact, many men in the early stages of prostate cancer have no symptoms at all. Without regular testing (PSA & DRE), it is very difficult to find early stage prostate cancer.
If untreated, prostate cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body and produce secondary tumours (metastases). At this point, the chances of a cure are much lower. Yet being diagnosed with prostate cancer can be a life-altering experience. It requires making some very difficult decisions about treatments that can affect not only the life of the man diagnosed, but also the lives of his family members in significant ways for many years to come.
Risk Factors
When evaluating risk for prostate cancer it’s important to recognize that no one thing can lead to the disease and that there are a variety of factors that contributes to ones risk. Some factors are controllable like diet and weight while others like age, ethnicity and family history are out of your hands.
Family history has a great part to play in risk of developing prostate cancer. Ten to 15% of men with prostate cancer also have a family history of the disease. And those with a family history tend to develop it at an early age (under 55 years old).
Prostate cancer is rare in men under 40 but the risk rate goes up as you get older. More than 80% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65 years old and 90% of men who die from the disease are in this age group. This is why it’s important to discuss prostate cancer with your doctor when you turn 40.
Those of African ancestry are 65% more likely to develop prostate cancer than Caucasian-American men, and the risk of a man of African ancestry descent dying of prostate cancer is about 100 times that of a man of Asian descent.
Although genetics might play a role in deciding why one man might be at higher risk than another, social and environmental factors, particularly diet and lifestyle, are likely to have an effect as well.
In recent years, research has shown that diet modification might decrease the chances of developing prostate cancer, reduce the likelihood of having a prostate cancer recurrence, or help slow the progression of the disease. There is currently research underway that is testing the effects of dietary and medical treatment on low-grade prostate cancer.
Additional Reading
If you want more information about prostate cancer check out www.prostatecancer.ca with further reading and resources available here.
References
National Cancer Institute [http://www.cancer.gov/]
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