Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second-most-common cancer in men. Unlike many other cancers, the incidence
of
prostate cancer increases dramatically with age; over 80% of all such cancers are diagnosed in men over age 65. Like breast cancer, early detection of prostate cancer is important. Manual rectal examination and the use of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a serum marker for the presence of the cancer are being utilized to screen for the disease in older men. The cause of prostate cancer is not clear, but as in breast cancer, dietary and hormonal factors play major roles. Treatment of this disease involves surgery, radiation, and the use of hormones and chemotherapeutic drugs. The antiandrogen, flutamide, may be combined with an inhibitor of specific pituitary releasing hormone to further prevent the normal production of androgens in the host. Prostate cancer
patients have excellent survival rates, exceeding 75%. However, because of the advanced age of many patients, the cause of death in many instances is unrelated to prostate cancer.