It has been estimated that 234.000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States of America next year. This leads us again to the conclusion that prostate cancer is the most common cancer type among American men, excepting for skin cancer. More than 27.000 deaths because of prostate cancer are expected to occur next year.



The good news is that the outlook for men diagnosed with this type of cancer is better than it has ever been. More than half of all prostate cancers are found in early stages, while the tumor is still localized, and the five year survival rate for these men is 99 percent.

The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut that is situated near the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The urethra passes through the prostate. The prostate gland produces a fluid that serves as the vehicle for sperm. Although there might be implications if the prostate gland is removed through surgery, it is not an essential organ and the body can function just as good without it.

Many men, especially as they get older, are affected by an overgrowth of prostate tissue. Many times, this tissue overgrowth is benign, which means that the cells do not contain cancer. This prostate condition is called benign prostatic hypertrophy, and it is also known as BPH. Other times, abnormal cancerous cells characterize the overgrowth of the tissue, and this is referred to as a malignancy or cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is one of the most controversial cancers in both diagnosis and treatment.

Facts on prostate cancer - Prostate cancer is more aggressive For Afro American people than for Caucasian people; This is the second commonest cancer which affects men, after lung cancer; The risk of developing prostate cancer grows after the age of 50. The majority people who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are men over 65 years; There are over 2 million American men currently living and dealing with prostate cancer;

Charles B. Huggins was awarded a Nobel Prize for understanding that prostate cancer was dependent on testosterone for its growth in 1941. He also proven that it spreads and this could be reversed by giving estrogens, which is the so called ‘Chemical Castration’; Prostate Specific Antigen is a marker for diagnosing prostate cancer and it was first used in forensic investigation to determine if a stain on the undergarment was due to semen or not;

The use of ‘robotics in surgery’ is most commonly deployed for removing a malignant prostate cancer from the pelvis; Prostate cancer is a relatively slow developing cancer. For all stages of the cancer the average five year survival rate is 98% and the ten year survival rate is 84%; Most people die having this type of cancer and not because of prostate cancer. Other facts on prostate cancer are that the survival chances for people diagnosed with prostate cancer have improved over the years and doctors and researchers are sure that their work is leading to success in treating this disease.