Baton Rouge Clinic Health Library

Cancer > Prostate Cancer

     Published: 10, 2006

This year an estimated 234,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and approximately 27,000 deaths will result from the disease. This makes prostate cancer the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among American men.

What age should I start getting screened for prostate cancer?

As with any other cancer, early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment. Men who have a history of prostate cancer in their family are at higher risk for developing prostate cancer. African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men, and nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease. The American Urological Association guidelines recommend that all men age 40 and over who have a family history of prostate cancer receive an annual screening for prostate cancer and that all men 50 and over without a family history of prostate cancer receive an annual screening.

What symptoms may occur if I have prostate cancer?

Most men do not experience any symptoms of prostate cancer if it is detected in its earliest stages. However, some men may experience the following symptoms:

• A need to urinate frequently, especially at night
• Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine
• Weak or interrupted flow of urine
• Blood in urine

Because these symptoms can also indicate the presence of other diseases or disorders, men who experience any of these symptoms will undergo a thorough exam to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms.

What is done to screen for prostate cancer?

For an annual screening a physician will evaluate the patient in the exam room by performing two tests; a blood test call PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) and a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). If either one of these tests have abnormal results the physician will suggest that a prostate biopsy be done. The biopsy is administered by a urologist in their office using an ultrasound that is inserted into the rectum. The procedure usually only takes 5 minutes and local anesthetic is used so the patient does not feel much discomfort. During the procedure small fragments of the prostate tissue are obtained and sent to a pathologist to examine. Most men despise seeing a physician for a yearly physical, much less having a prostate exam performed, but it is important to remember that this short exam could save your life and the physician will make it as comfortable as possible.

What treatments are available for prostate cancer?

In general early prostate cancer can be treated surgically or through some form of radiation therapy. The right option for the patient is chosen based on multiple factors. What is important is that the patient is informed about all options of treatment, the side effects, and other consequences so he and his urologist can make the best decision for treatment.

How curable is prostate cancer?

As with all cancers, “cure” rates for prostate cancer describe the percentage of patients likely remaining disease-free for a specific time. In general, the earlier the cancer is caught, the more likely it is for the patient to remain disease-free.

Because approximately 90% of all prostate cancers are detected in the local and regional stages, the cure rate for prostate cancer is high—nearly 100% of men diagnosed at this stage will be alive after five years. By contrast, in the 1970s, only 67% of men diagnosed with local or regional prostate cancer were disease-free after five years.

Information for this article was obtained from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, WebMD, and the National Cancer Institute. Please visit their websites for more information about prostate cancer at www.prostatecancerfoundation.org, www.WebMD.com, and www.cancer.gov.

Andrew T. Zaruski, MD, FACS
Specializing in Urology

The Baton Rouge Clinic, AMC, offers this information as a courtesy service. Please remember that medical knowledge is always evolving and we cannot represent that any of our information is absolutely current. Please consult a physician before taking any medical action based on information gathered from this or any website.