This is a review of some of the basic facts that are related to prostate cancer. It compliments our Comprehensive Report on Prostate Cancer which focuses mainly on state-of-the-art treatment protocols, experimental clinical trials that are open, and current research. For details on that report, see the link. If you care to print this file, it is about 9 pages.
Prostate cancer is a disease in which transformed cells (neoplasms) arise in the tissues of the prostate. It occurs only in males. In the U.S., there were about 180,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the year 2000, and there was a total of about 1,250,000 standing cases. The life-time risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is about 15.89%, and the life-time risk of dying from prostate cancer is 3.43%. Cancer of the prostate is found mainly in older men. As men age, the prostate may get bigger and block the urethra or bladder. This may cause difficulty in urination or can interfere with sexual functions. The condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and although it is not cancer, surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of BPH or of other problems in the prostate may be similar to symptoms for prostate cancer.
There are five diagnostic stages of prostate cancer, Stages 0, I, II, III, & IV, plus recurrent.
Stage I (A). Prostate cancer at this stage cannot be felt and causes no symptoms. The cancer is only in the prostate and usually is found accidentally when surgery is done for other reasons, such as for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cancer cells may be found in only one area of the prostate or they may be found in many areas of the prostate.
Stage II (B). The tumor may be found by a needle biopsy that is done because a blood test (called a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test) showed an elevated PSA level or it may be felt in the prostate during a rectal examination, even though the cancer cells are found only in the prostate gland.
Stage III (C). Cancer cells have spread outside the covering (capsule) of the prostate to tissues around the prostate. The glands that produce semen (the seminal vesicles) may have cancer in them.
Stage IV (D). Cancer cells have spread (metastasized) to lymph nodes (near or far from the prostate) or to organs and tissues far away from the prostate such as the bone, liver, or lungs.
Recurrent. Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the prostate or in another part of the body.
The conventional treatments are: surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. Biological therapies are in clinical trial. As of January 2002, there were over 112 active, experimental, clinical trials that are being conducted, and during 2001 there were about 1,700 research reports which were published on prostate cancer, both of which indicate a high degree of research activity.
In our Comprehensive Report on Prostate Cancer, we detail the various stages and therapeutic alternatives. The experimental trials are listed and the most recent research citations are provided. The report is a component of what we call The Life-extension Approach to Medicine.
Below is some graphic information that is relevant to prostate cancer. (The data are taken from The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute.)
Anatomical sites that are associated with prostate cancer are below.   |
Total Incidence of Prostate Cancer. Incidence means the number of cases of the disease per year per 100,000 population (U.S.). It provides an idea about the magnitude of the disease, whether some change in condition is causing an increase or decrease, and whether preventive measures are being effective.
Comments. The total incidence in prostate cancer has increased over the last three decades. In the age category over 65, in 1973 the incidence was 535 per 100,000 and in 1998 it was 906 per 100,000. That is an increase of 68%. In the age category under 50, it was 15 and 53, respectively. Much of this increase is probably due to prostate cancer screening programs using the PSA test that identifies tumors which otherwise would have gone unrecorded. The figures are supposed to be adjusted for age to a 1970 reference population, thus the increase should not be due to the shift toward an older population.
Incidence of Prostate Cancer by Age Category. This analyzes the incidence by specific age groups per 100,000 population.
Comments. There is a strong correlation between prostate cancer and biological ageing, suggesting that a systemic deterioration, perhaps in the immune system or neuro-endocrine regulation or extra-cellular matrix, might be a primary, causative agent. Prostate cancer will not be preventable unless and until biological ageing is cured.
Death or Mortality Rates of Prostate Cancer. This is a measure of the number of persons dying from the disease per 100,000 population per year. It provides an idea about whether medical therapies are being effective.
Comments. The death rate from prostate cancer in those under age 65 is relatively low and has remaind the same over the last 30 years. In the age category over 65, in 1973 the incidence was 195 per 100,000 and in 1998 it was 197 per 100,000. That represents no change over the last 30 years.
Mortality or Death of Prostate Cancer by Age Category. This breaks-out the total mortality above by specific age groups within a given age cohort as an average for a period of 4 years.
Comments. Again, there is a strong correlation between death from prostate cancer and biological ageing, suggesting that a systemic deterioration, perhaps in the immune system or neuro-endocrine regulation or something more fundamental such as exta-cellular matrix deterioration, might be a primary, causative agent.
Survival Rates of Prostate Cancer. These data show, at different epochs, the percentage of persons surviving the disease over a 5 year period.
Comments. In 1975, of those who were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 90% were still alive after year 1 and 67% were alive at year 5. In 1993, the percentages improved significantly to 99% and 96% respectively. This improvement in 5 year survival is due mostly to a healthier population rather than medical treatments.
The Status of Research. One measure of potential progress on a particular disease is the amount of research which is being done. In the MEDLINE database, the number of reports on prostate cancer has steadily increase.
Also, the main funding agency for cancer in the U.S. has steadily increased its budget to about $3.25 billion annually and a fair portion of that goes to prostate cancer.
Comments. Research on prostate cancer receives a huge amount of funding; and the number of research reports on prostate cancer continues to accelerate. In spite of that, little progress has been realized in prevention and cure. In our Comprehensive Report on Prostate Cancer, we enable people to become directly involved in moving this science forward.
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