Do you know what you need to about prostate cancer?

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

It is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and a new opportunity to educate men about this common condition.
There are around one quarter of a million new cases of prostate cancer every year, says the American Cancer Society. In September, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, cancer experts want men to become more aware of the condition. They say men should attend regularly for a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which is given in the doctor's surgery along with a rectal exam. If either is abnormal, a biopsy will follow to see if cancer is present.

The good news is that almost 100 per cent of men with prostate cancer will still be alive five years on. Treatment varies and may consist of external beam radiation, radioactive seed implants, surgery, hormone therapy or a combination of these. Some men will just be monitored, rather than having active treatment. Many patients do not have symptoms but some will have urinary problems and pain in the lower back, pelvis and lower body. More than half of those with prostate cancer are over 65, but all men over 50 need routine screening, the experts say.

Source
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology 13th September 2006

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