About Prostate Cancer

A diagnosis of cancer is always a scary situation, but the good news about prostate cancer is that it can be treated quite successfully, provided that it is caught early enough. Understanding prostate cancer, its risks, and its treatments will help you as you deal with your diagnosis and choose the best treatment option.

Function

• Prostate cancer is a malignant growth that occurs within the cells of the prostate gland. This type of cancer is typically a slow-growing cancer that stays inside the gland for a long time. Because of its location and small size, prostate cancer often causes few symptoms and is not dangerous as long as it is in the gland. However, once it begins to spread outside of the prostate, it can be life threatening.

Diagnosis

• Because early stage prostate cancer causes few, if any, symptoms, it is typically diagnosed through routine physical exams. Doctors perform prostate exams by inserting a finger into the rectum to feel the prostate, looking for any abnormalities. Sometimes prostate cancer is detected through a blood test, known as a PSA, that looks for the prostate specific antigen. If tumors are felt during a prostate exam and the man has elevated PSA levels, most doctors assume that the tumors are cancerous. Biopsies and ultrasounds are sometimes done to confirm that cancer is present.

Treatment

• One option to treat prostate cancer is external beam radiation therapy. This attempts to destroy the cancer cells using high-powered x-rays. Radioactive seed implants are another option. This involves placing tiny radioactive seeds in the prostate near the cancer. The seeds kill the cancer cells as they lose their radioactive properties. Hormones can be used to starve the cancer of the testosterone it needs to grow. The prostate gland and the cancer it contains can be destroyed using microwaves or high intensity focused ultrasound waves as well. Sometimes surgical prostate removal is chosen to treat prostate cancer.

Considerations

• Prostate cancer, as long as it is confined to the prostate, is not dangerous by itself. Many doctors recommend patients with localized prostate cancer take an approach of "watchful waiting." This means waiting to treat the cancer, but watching it closely for signs of growth. This is chosen in light of the risk of potential side effects from common prostate cancer treatments. Often the side effects interfere with the patient's quality of life more than the cancer itself does.

Expert Insight

• Prostate cancer is most common in men who are age 50 or older. For this reason, doctors recommend that all men who are age 50 or older get a prostate exam annually. Prostate cancer is easily treated, but only if it is caught before it has a chance to spread outside of the prostate gland. Potential side effects of prostate cancer treatment include incontinence and impotence. Newer treatment devices that better target the prostate gland and protect the surrounding tissues have lowered this risk of side effects.