 What Are The Challenges Facing Us Today?
The Center is currently working on research programs in
prostate, kidney, and bladder cancer, three of the top ten cancer killers in the United
States. A major focus of the VPC is on studies to develop better and earlier diagnostic
tests for prostate cancer and new strategies to treat the disease.
Prostate cancer is now second only to cancer of the lung
as the leading cause of death from cancer among American males. The National Cancer
Institute predicts that by the year 2000 there will be a 90 percent increase in prostate
cancer cases and a 37 percent increase in prostate cancer deaths. Approximately one of
every ten men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime; among African-American men the
rate is one in nine.
One reason for the increasing number of men with prostate
cancer is the increasing number of men over the age of 65. Whereas in the early 20th
century, men might have died from pneumonia, tuberculosis, or other infectious diseases,
and in the mid-20th century from cardiac disease, they are now surviving long enough for
prostate cancer to become a threat to health and life.
What Ailments Can Affect the Prostate?
- Prostatitis - A bacterial infection which can
afflict men at any age, prostatitis occurs in two varieties. Symptoms of acute prostatitis
are frequent urination, fever, chills, and lower back pain. It is usually not serious and
is treatable with antibiotics. Chronic prostatitis, which is more common than the acute
variety, can be associated with urinary tract infections, abdominal pain, pain in the
lower back and testicles, and pain while urinating. Antibiotics can often improve
symptoms.
- Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) - An enlargement
of the prostate gland, BPH often occurs as men near age 50 and becomes more common as age
increases. The enlarging prostate squeezes the urethra, making urination difficult. BPH is
not related to cancer and does not cause cancer, but can occur coincidentally with cancer.
Treatment involves removing the interior core of the gland or drug therapy to reduce
prostate volume.
- Cancer of the Prostate - A major problem with
prostate cancer is that it can develop without symptoms. Tumors occur more often on the
outer or peripheral part of the gland, so they don't squeeze the urethra. Three out of
four men diagnosed with prostate cancer will have slow-growing cancers. While a patient
with such a cancer may die of another disease, slowly growing cancers can cause pain and
suffering as they progress. One of the four, however, will have a fast-growing cancer that
will be fatal.
A number of factors, including genetics, environment and
diet, determine who is susceptible to prostate cancer. When prostate cancer metastasizes,
it may spread to other organs, especially to the lymph nodes and bone. If the cancer is
detected while confined to the prostate gland, surgical removal provides the opportunity
for cure. |
