Facts About Prostate Cancer
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men other than skin cancer. One in every seven men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime.
- The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 220,800 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2015.
- After lung cancer, prostate cancer kills more men than any other type of malignancy. The American Cancer Society estimates that 27,540 men in the U.S. will die from prostate cancer in 2015.
- If caught early, prostate cancer often is curable. The National Cancer Institute reports that the 5-year survival rate for all stages of prostate cancer is 98.9%.
- While prostate cancer is an extremely serious and potentially deadly disease, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. More than 2.9 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with the disease are still alive today.
Facts About Prostate Cancer
If you learn that you have prostate cancer, you should discuss your treatment options with a radiation oncologist, a cancer doctor who specializes in treating disease with radiation therapy; a urologist, a surgeon who specializes in conditions affecting the urinary tract; and potentially with a medical oncologist, a physician who specializes in treating cancer with chemotherapy and other treatments.
Prostate cancer treatment options include:
- Surgery – A surgeon, usually a urologist, surgically removes the tumor.
- External beam radiation therapy – A radiation oncologist directs high-energy radiation to kill the cancer cells.
- Prostate brachytherapy – A radiation oncologist surgically implants high-energy radiation seeds to kill cancer cells.
- Hormone therapy – A medical oncologist administers medication to stop the production of hormones that help tumors grow.
- Chemotherapy – A medical oncologist prescribes medication to kill cancer cells.
- Watchful waiting, also known as proactive surveillance – Some men can safely postpone treatment while their physician carefully monitors their condition.
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