An estimated 244,000 American men will be diagnosed at some stage of the disease in 1995, and 44,400 will die, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). In Georgia alone, 5,700 new cases will be diagnosed in 1995, and approximately 920 Georgia men will die of the disease.
If prostate cancer is detected in its early stages by digital rectal examination or the relatively new prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, prognosis is generally good, said Holt Sanders, assistant professor of urology. Approximately 94 percent of men diagnosed with localized cancer will survive five years after the diagnosis; an average of 80 percent of men whose cancer is farther along at diagnosis will survive at least five years, according to ACS.
Prostate cancer is an adenocarcinoma--a cancer that originates in a gland, in this instance, the prostate gland located under the bladder. It is associated with circulating testosterone.
The disease is detected most often through screenings, because symptoms such as painful, weak or interrupted urination are not apparent until the cancer's latest stages. Often, men with symptoms do not have cancer, but rather a treatable condition called benign prostatic hypertrophy. To detect the cancer before symptoms appear, ACS recommends making a digital rectal exam part of every man's routine annual physical after age 40. ACS recommends that all men after age 50 also receive an annual PSA blood test.
Treatment options include removing (prostatectomy), irradiating or freezing (cryotherapy) the prostate gland or hormone therapy (removing the testes or administration of hormonal agents). Men with a short life expectancy either because of age or another medical condition may choose the conservative "watchful waiting" approach. Once the cancer has metastasized and spread, hormone therapy may be the most appropriate treatment option.
Atlanta men 55 years of age and older may qualify for participation in the first nationwide prostate cancer prevention trial. Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study will seek to determine whether the drug finasteride (trade name Proscar) can prevent prostate cancer. Organizers hope to enter 18,000 men at 222 testing sites across the country. Winship Cancer Center and Grady Hospital have been named as study sites. Call 778-4449 for information on the Emory site and 616-6166 for information on the Grady site.
African American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world, even higher than black men living in Africa, the Caribbean or other industrialized nations. Black men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer nearly three times more often than other men. To understand the reasons behind this increased risk, Robert Curry of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine has been analyzing data collected from African American men visiting two of Grady Hospital's neighborhood health clinics to identify men at increased risk for prostate cancer. Studies conducted around the world point to heredity and high dietary fat consumption as contributing factors.
Two free prostate screeings are being held this week. On Tuesday and Thursday, Sept. 19 and 21, screenings will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. in The Emory Clinic's Department of Urology. Men who are participating in Emory's ongoing national study will be contacted for the screenings first, but other appointments will be available as well. Call 778-4162 or 778-5422. Screenings will be held at Crawford Long Hospital on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 20 and 21, from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Call Health Connection at 778-7744 for more information.
This article originally appeared in Atlanta Sports and Fitness Magazine, Sept. 1995 . Lorri Preston is a writer in Health Sciences News and Information. "Wellness" is coordinated by the Seretean Center for Health Promotion.