What Men Need to Know About Prostate Cancer

What do men have that women don’t? That question could lead to some lively arguments but not if the answer is 180,000 cases of prostate cancer every year. That sobering statistic, just like the prostate gland itself, is something completely unique to men.

It is also something that should be a concern to men when it is realized that in addition to the 180,000 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed annually there are also an average of 30,000 deaths per year caused by the disease. Those are important things for a man to know but not as important as understanding one of the reasons for that many annual deaths is because despite being fairly common there are few signs and symptoms of prostate cancer in the early stages.

Like all forms of cancer prostate cancer is actually the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that metastasis (spreads) through the prostate and many times to the rest of the body. This metastasis can be slow or rapid depending on the individual and how aggressive the cancer is, but left untreated prostate cancer can spread to other parts of the body such as the lymph nodes or bones.

Prostate cancer can strike any male at anytime but statistically at least it is not an equal opportunity disease. For reasons not yet determined prostate cancer appears most commonly in males descending from North America, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. But the incidence of prostate cancer appears to be much lower in males from Asia as well as males from Central and South America.

In the United States prostate cancer is second only to skin cancer as the most common disease. Those figures have been increasing dramatically over the past 10 years, although much of the increase may actually result from better testing and detection methods such as PSA tests. PSA refers to prostate-specific antigen, and elevated levels of PSA in the blood stream indicate more testing for prostate cancer should be done.

This is especially important for African American men where statistics show African American males twice as likely as their American counter parts to develop prostate cancer and die from the disease. These statistics may not be as accurate as they appear, however, because differences in access to health care may have played a key role in the number of deaths because fewer African Males had the advantage of early detection of the disease.

With those differences noted what really needs to be understood is the group that actually has the highest rate of prostate cancer is men (of all races) in their late 60’s and early 70’s. More than 75% of all prostate cancer strikes men within this age bracket, and a family history of prostate cancer push the odds even higher.

But there is much that can improve those odds. The advances in detection and treatment have already improved the odds of surviving prostate cancer, and regular doctor visit and screenings can further improve those odds. Healthy low fat diets are also believed to cut risks. But nothing can improve the odds of avoiding or surviving prostate cancer more than knowing what those odds are.

Maybe there will even be a day when there is no cancer prostrate or otherwise. And with all the advances made in the last 30 they are working on the advances for the next 30 years every day and there is much reason to hope. But for now when it comes to prostate cancer the best hope you have is yourself. Remember early detection is the best predictor of success. Get annual checkups, and the necessary tests.

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