Every year, more than 130,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and about 30,000 die of it. Eighty percent of the cases are among men older than 65. And at some time in their lives, one of every nine American men will develop it. In fact, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men.

Prostate cancer physicians at Tri-City Medical Center are leaders in diagnosing prostate cancer and use the latest treatment advances, such as the ProstaScint procedure and implant seeding.

Early Diagnosis

While the statistics are daunting, the good news is prostate cancer is usually curable when caught early. Because the cancer is difficult to detect and may go unnoticed, men over 40 should be vigilant about getting annual prostate exams and become familiar with the warning signs.

"Because prostate cancer grows very slowly, there are no symptoms for early prostate cancer. So even though the patient can't feel it, the cancer can be there," explains Bradley L. Frasier, M.D., a Board Certified Urologist on staff at Tri-City Medical Center. If it goes undetected and spreads to other parts of the body, prostate cancer can be fatal.

Diagnosis Starts with History and Examination

Diagnosis is usually made through a medical history and physical examination. The prostate is an internal organ, and the physician cannot look at it directly. However, it lies in front of the rectum so the doctor can feel it by a digital rectal examination and estimate whether the prostate is enlarged or has lumps or other areas of abnormal texture.

PSA Test

If there is a chance cancer is present, a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, ultrasound or other examinations might be recommended. The PSA test measures the blood level of PSA, a substance produced by normal and malignant prostate cells that may increase when prostate cancer is present.

However, according to Dr. Frasier, the PSA alone is not an adequate test. "Up to 20 percent of men with localized prostate cancer have normal PSAs, and the only indication they have prostate cancer is the abnormal prostate exam."

Treatment Options

If prostate cancer is confirmed, many factors should be considered by the physician and patient in choosing the right treatment: the stage of the disease - or the extent of the disease in the prostate and (or) distant spread - the patient's age and overall health, and the side effects of the treatments available.

"Meet the urologist and radiation Oncologist to discuss your options," advises Eva K. Lean, M.D., a Board Certified Radiation Oncologist and Director of Radiation Oncology at Tri-City Medical Center. "Which treatment is chosen depends on the patient. Any patient who qualifies for surgery usually also qualifies for radiation therapy."

ProstaScint

The ProstaScint procedure assesses the potential spreading of prostate cancer and helps determine the most effective type of treatment therapy. Tri-City Medical Center physician Samuel Kipper, M.D. participated in the clinical trials that led to the procedure's FDA approval in 1996.

Radiation Implant Seeding

Radiation implant seeding involves surgical implantation of small beads of radioactive material to treat localized prostate cancers.

Questions to Ask

Dr. Lean says that patients diagnosed with prostate cancer should ask the following questions to make the best treatment choice:

• What is done for each treatment and why?
  
  
• What are the benefits, risks and side effects of each?
  
  
• How will each affect sexual performance?
  
  
• What are the short-term effects, how long do they last, and what can be done about them?
  
  
• What kind of adjustments in lifestyle, diet and hygiene will be necessary?
  
  
• What is the recovery time?
  
  
• What activity level can be expected after treatment?