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Prostate Cancer: Early Detection Crucial

A Health Message from Wagoner Community Hospital

(September 5, 2011) Thanks to advances in technology, many men who avoided prostate screenings because they did not want to deal with the possible side effects of prostate cancer treatment can now receive effective treatment with minimal side effects. Yet, early detection is vital in order to have the most treatment options available. September has been declared Prostate Health Month to raise awareness of prostate health issues such as prostate cancer.

"The prostate is a small, walnut-sized gland in the male reproductive system," said Richard Allen, D.O. "Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men, yet it is typically a slow-growing cancer. The risk increases as men age, with an overall rate of one in every six men facing a prostate cancer diagnosis during his lifetime. While the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer remains high, there has been at least a 25% reduction in prostate cancer mortality rates since the beginning of the PSA era. With early detection, the five-year survival rate is 99%."

In recent years, the blood test used to screen for prostate cancer has come under scrutiny for producing false positives and leading to unnecessary cancer treatments that can impact mens quality of life. But, new tests and treatments improve both the treatment outcome and the quality of life for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. A new, painless test on a urine sample is now in development and shows promise in helping doctors tell when a high prostate-specific antigen level means a dangerous cancer or when its a sign of a more benign condition. Another area under study involves short-term hormone treatment with radiation therapy to improve survival chances and quality of life for men diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. And, the newly approved prostate cancer pill Zytiga has been shown to extend life for patients with advanced prostate cancer.

Newer treatments for prostate cancer can offer effective tumor control while preserving quality of life. Depending on the state of the cancer, treatment recommendations may include surgery, external beam radiation and brachytherapy.

IMRT - New options for external beam radiation therapy such IMRT can deliver high doses of radiation to the prostate while minimizing damage to surrounding structures.

Cyberknife - part of a new generation of radiotherapy techniques called IGRT or image-guided radiotherapy. CyberKnife has a unique ability to accurately fire up to 150 beams of radiation with pinpoint accuracy from multiple directions (and even compensate for breathing during the treatment process). CyberKnife minimizes radiation and damage to the nearby normal organs and tissues. The combination of effective treatment, a shortened treatment time frame and minimal side effects makes CyberKnife a good option for many men with early stage prostate cancer.

Brachytherapy - a radiation technique in which radioactive seeds are implanted directly into the prostate.

While it is impossible to prevent prostate cancer at this time, recent studies pinpoint lifestyle changes that appear to help reduce a man's risk of dying from prostate cancer:

Eat a low fat diet high in fruits and vegetables. Eating cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower), lycopene (found in cooked tomatoes) and fish oil may help reduce risks. (High dietary fat may be linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer.)

Combine the healthy diet with other healthy lifestyle choices such as regular exercise and avoidance of cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol use.

Lose weight. Obesity may be a contributing factor that increases a mans risk of death from prostate cancer.

"If obesity does contribute to prostate cancer risks, men who lose weight may be less likely to get aggressive prostate cancer," Dr. Allen added. "More study is needed, but initial findings indicate that losing weight as an adult, or avoiding adult weight gain, could significantly affect the risks of getting aggressive prostate cancer. In one study, men reporting a weight loss of at least 11 pounds were 40% less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than their counterparts who gained weight.

"Many more men will die with prostate cancer than die from prostate cancer," Dr. Allen concluded. "The reason for this is early detection and treatment when success rates are their highest. Since prostate cancer in its earliest stages has no symptoms, it's important for men to visit with their physicians to identify the screening schedule they need to follow. Even if prostate cancer is diagnosed, men today have many more options that provide excellent outcomes while avoiding many of the side effects and quality of life issues that made the decision to treat the cancer so difficult for men just a decade or two ago."

Prostate Cancer: Early Detection Crucial

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