Cancer Issues
Prostate Cancer Fast Facts
By
Aug 30, 2010 - 11:13:55 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Augusta, Ga. – Being proactive about prostate health might just save your life – especially if cancer is detected early. Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. According to the American Cancer Society, about 32,000 men will die of prostate cancer this year.

That’s why urologists at MCGHealth continue to recommend that men over 50 undergo two painless tests — a physical exam and a blood test — to check for signs of prostate cancer. African-American men and those with a family history of prostate cancer are recommended to begin prostate cancer checks at age 45.

In most cases, prostate cancer is a slow-growing cancer. A physical exam, consisting of a digital rectal exam, and a blood test to learn the level of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, enable physicians to find signs of prostate cancer early. The digital rectal exam looks for firmness or lumps and bumps on the gland’s surface, while the PSA test checks if levels are normal.

Annual prostate checks are particularly important because prostate cancer in its early stages often has no symptoms. By the time symptoms occur, the cancer has often spread and may be untreatable.

Those at particular risk for prostate cancer are:


§ African-American men.

§ Older men. The risk of prostate cancer increases with age.

§ Those whose diet is high in animal fat.

§ Those with a family history. If a man's father or an older sibling has had prostate cancer, he is at increased risk.

Several years ago, a study at the Medical College of Georgia determined that obesity makes prostate cancer harder to detect. A healthy weight is important in fighting cancer, heart disease and many other illnesses too. Men should also avoid tobacco products and get plenty of exercise to lower their risk for prostate cancer.

Thanks to advances in treatment techniques, a cure is possible for a large percentage of men diagnosed with the disease. Treatments include:

§ Prostate removal, through traditional surgery or robotic prostatectomy (minimally invasive surgery)

§ Radiation therapy, including implantation of radioactive seeds in the prostate (brachytherapy) that help spare normal tissue

§ Chemotherapy

§ Investigational therapies such as cryotherapy

§ Hormone therapy

All men should become aware of the risk factors and take steps, including having annual checkups, to help decrease their risk of developing prostate cancer. If you are unsure about when you should be checked or have other questions about prostate health, be sure to discuss them with your doctor. Knowledge and proactive testing could save your life.

MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient facilities and services throughout the state. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org

Editorial note: Dr. Martha K. Terris is chief of the Section of Urology at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center and Professor of Urology at the Medical College of Georgia. She repeatedly has been named one of “America’s Top Doctors” in urology and one of “America’s Top Cancer Doctors” in the national patient reference guides published by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.

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