Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men in the U.S. (other than skin cancer).
Each year in the U.S., more than 186,000 men learn they have this disease. It is estimated that out of every six men, one will get prostate cancer during his lifetime. The disease is commonly found in older men.
About Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that is part of the male reproductive system. Nearly all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas, which start in the glandular cells. Most of the time, prostate cancer grows very slowly.
PIN
Very small changes in the size and shape of the prostate gland cells, known as prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), are believed by some doctors to increase the risk of prostate cancer. Almost half of all men have PIN by the time they reach 50. In PIN, there are changes in how the prostate gland cells look under the microscope, but the cells don’t grow into other parts of the prostate like cancer cells do. Men with abnormal PIN are monitored closely for cancerous cells in the prostate.
Prostate cancer has also been linked to higher levels of certain hormones. Male hormones, called androgens, make the prostate grow.
Who’s at Risk?
Prostate cancer is rarely found in men younger than 45. Most prostate cancers are found in men older than 65. Men whose father or brother had the disease are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
The disease is more common in African American men than in white men. Prostate cancer occurs less often in Asian-American and Hispanic/Latino men.
Treatment
Treatment options for men with prostate cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy or hormonal therapy. An early stage prostate cancer is commonly treated with surgery, in which all or part of the prostate and surrounding tissue are removed.
Radiation oncologists at Cancer Care Northwest were among the first in Spokane to treat prostate cancer with high-dose rate brachytherapy, a form of internal radiation in which a temporary catheter inserted into the prostate delivers powerful radiation sources to the cancer in short, quick bursts.
Some information on this page is provided by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.