What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer develops from the growth of cancerous cells within the prostate gland. Cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy in American men after skin cancer. It is estimated that in 1999 in the United States nearly 179,300 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the majority of men with prostate cancer, it is very slow growing, and many, if not most, of these men will not die because of the prostate cancer, but rather will live with it until they eventually die of some other cause. Early prostate cancer is localized (confined) to the gland, and the majority of patients with localized prostate cancer have a long survival after diagnosis.
Cancer is a term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy in American men. Malignancy is a cancerous tumor that can invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. Early prostate cancer is localized (confined) to the gland, and the majority of patients with localized prostate cancer have a long survival after diagnosis.
Except for skin cancer, cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy in American men. In the majority of men with prostate cancer, it is very slow growing. Many, if not most, of these men will not die because of the prostate cancer, but will live with it until they eventually die of some other cause. Early prostate cancer is localized (confined) to the gland, and the majority of patients with localized prostate cancer have a long survival after diagnosis.
Cancer can develop in the prostate, leading to changes in the gland’s cells, which begin to multiply in a non-regulated fashion. According the American Cancer Society (ACS), prostate cancer is the most frequent cancer in men. It affects about 1 in every 6 men over the course of his life and rarely occurs before age 50. More than 209,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2008 in the United States and Canada. Prostate cancer accounts for 33% of all male cancers and 10% of all male cancer-related deaths. With an estimated 33,000 deaths in 2008, prostate cancer is also the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 96% of all patients diagnosed with prostate cancer are 55 years and older. Statistically, 91% of prostate cancers are discovered in local and regional stages. Prostate cancer can be treated in a highly effective manner when localized in the prostate. Most prostate cancer cases evolve very slowly and may progress ov
Except for skin cancer, cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy in American men. It is estimated that nearly 221,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003. In most men with prostate cancer, the disease grows very slowly. The majority of men with low-grade, early prostate cancer (confined to the gland) live a long time after their diagnosis. Even without treatment, many of these men will not die of the prostate cancer, but rather will live with it until they eventually die of some other, unrelated cause. Nevertheless, nearly 29,000 men will die of prostate cancer in 2003.
