Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of deaths among men in the United States. Yet, it is also one of the most treatable types of cancer today. A prostate cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to be cause for panic early. Here are six important facts to know about prostate cancer –
1. First of all know if you or a loved one is diagnosed with prostate cancer, you are not alone, and this is a highly treatable cancer. This is a fairly common type of cancer. There are many men who have walked this road. It’s important to have that support team from family and friends to your physician and nurses.
2. About one in seven men will have a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. For African-American men, the odds are slightly higher. The good news is that the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer that is caught early is 99 percent.
3. Know that there are no consistent or noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer while in the early stages. Screenings can help catch it early. Your physician can help you know when to be screened based on your risk factors. Early detection is key.
4. Treatment can vary from a “wait and see” approach to surgery to radiation. Surgery consists of removing the prostate gland and possibly some of the surrounding lymph nodes. Radiation destroys prostate tissue and cancer cells in a series of forty treatments. There is also current research into less invasive methods of treatment such as HIFU, which is for our “wait and see” patients.
5. Family history can definitely play a role in developing prostate cancer. For men who have a father or brother with prostate cancer, their risk more than doubles. Also, about six in 10 cases of prostate cancer are in men 65 and older. It’s very rare for men to be diagnosed before age 40 even with a family history.
6. The cause for prostate cancer is unknown. Because of that, researchers don’t have a definitive way to prevent the disease, so there’s nothing that your husband could do or should have done differently. Just be reminded that prostate cancer is highly treatable and an elevated PSA doesn’t always mean prostate cancer.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with prostate cancer or needs to schedule a screening, give us a call today. We can help you through this journey from diagnosis to treatment, call 1-877-321-8452.
