Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer Facts

  • Prostate cancer is most often diagnosed in men 65 and older, although younger men can be diagnosed with it as well.
  • By age 80, more than half of all men have some cancer in their prostate.
  • African American men tend to be diagnosed at younger ages with more aggressive prostate cancer than men of other races.
  • Every year over 230,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about
    30,350 die. If prostate cancer is detected early, it is often treatable.
  • 1 in 6 men is at risk in a lifetime of prostate cancer.
  • 2 men every five minutes are diagnosed with prostate cancer.
  • A man with a close relative wtth prostate cancer has double the risk.
  • Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
  • The majority of deaths from prostate cancer are related to advanced disease with metastases.

Prostate Cancer Screening

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Treatment Options

Watchful Waiting

Watchful waiting is often called “active surveillance” or “observation” and means that you decide to have no active treatment now. Your doctor will want to follow you closely to look for any signs that the disease may be changing. You will have tests like the ones you’ve already had such as digital rectal exams, PSA tests, and repeat biopsies. You can change your mind and decide to have treatment at any
time. Watchful waiting is based on the fact that many early-stage prostate cancers grow so slowly that they may never cause problems or become life threatening. In some cases, it may be a way to avoid the harms of treatment without shortening life expectancy. Or it can be a decision based on your age and other serious health problems – older men in their 70s and 80s may not have the same views about undergoing surgery or radiation therapy as younger men.

Surgery

There are 3 treatment options for patients who have early stage prostate cancer: prostatectomy (open, laproscopic, or nerve-sparing robotic), cryosurgery, and radiation therapy. The goal of all of these options is to remove or destroy cancer cells before they can spread to other tissues in the body.

Radiation

Uses high-energy rays (eg, x-rays) or particles (eg, electrons or protons) to kill prostate cancer cells or prevent cancer cells from growing and spreading Used to treat prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate (Stages T1 and T2) Often used in combination with hormone therapy if cancer cells have spread beyond the prostate to nearby tissues (Stage T3) May be used for pain relief in prostate cancer that is no longer responding to hormone therapy and has spread to other tissues in the body, primarily bones (Stage M+).

Hormone Therapy

Prostate cancer cells require male hormones (such as testosterone) to grow. Hormone therapy decreases production of testosterone by the testicles so that cancer cell growth slows down.

Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery is a treatment that uses an instrument to freeze and destroy prostate cancer cells. This type of treatment is also called cryotherapy. Impotence and leakage of urine from the bladder or stool from the rectum may occur in men treated with cryosurgery.

Newly Diagnosed

You or your loved one has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. You may be experiencing a number of feelings: disbelief, fear, anger, anxiety, and depression.

The good news is that there are many treatment options and support resources available to help you through this journey. Click the button for more information.

Mailing Address

Oregon Urology Foundation
2400 Hartman Lane, Suite 300
Springfield, OR 97477