Best treatment option for prostate cancer is early detection

Dickson, TN – September 21, 2008 - Prostate cancer is the most common cancer experienced by American men. In fact, by age 50, up to 1 in 4 men may already have  cancerous cells in the prostate gland, and by age 80 this ratio increases to 1 in 2. Although risk increases with age, unlike most other cancers you are more likely to die with it than of it. That is because in some victims, especially older men, it may be a very slow moving process. An American male has about a 30% risk of having prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only a 3% likelihood of it causing death. However, in younger men and African-Americans the disease is often more aggressive, and we must keep in mind that 23,000 Americans will die of this disease  each year.

“The good news is that if prostate cancer is detected early, when it is still confined to the gland, there is an excellent chance for a curative treatment, usually surgery or radiation therapy,” stated Stuart Spigel, medical oncologist at The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center. Managing cancer that has spread beyond the gland is more difficult, but treatments are available which may control he disease and prolong life.

The key to survival is, as with most cancers, early detection, and that is easier with prostate cancer than most others. A simple blood test, the prostate specific antigen, or PSA, is an inexpensive, sensitive screening test for the disease though a biopsy is necessary to establish the diagnosis. Most American men will not have to start PSA testing until age 50, but those with a family history of the disease, and African-Americans should probably begin testing at 45.

Most prostate cancers detected in the early stage are slow growing allowing plenty of time for the patient to become aware of treatment options and make an informed treatment decision in consultation with his primary care provider. The opinions of a urologist, the surgical specialist for this disease, and a radiation therapist may be sought.

The choice of treatment will depend on many factors including age and general health, and the extent and aggressiveness of the disease. Both surgery and radiation therapy are capable of producing near equivalent long-term survival rates, and both can have side effects which may have impact on sexual (erectile) and bladder function.

In this era of PSA screening, overall 5 and 10 year disease-specific survival rates  are 99% and 95%, that is , excess deaths from this disease compared to the general population is as low as 1% and 5%.

Currently, it is estimated that more than 50% of men over age 65 have the PSA test  done. Most experts believe that if more men were screened , the mortality rate could only decline. Since September has been designated National Prostate Health Month “this is a perfect time to urge men to have an annual prostate screening,” stated Dr. Spigel.