Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S.
FDA helps ensure the safety and effectiveness of prostate cancer screening tests and treatments. |
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. And African-American men are more likely to get prostate cancer and twice as likely to die from the disease than men of other races.
The prostate is part of the male reproductive system that makes semen. The walnut-sized gland is beneath the bladder and surrounds the upper part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates certain tests and treatments for prostate cancer to ensure their safety and effectiveness.
Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is frequently a very slow-growing disease, often causing no symptoms until it is in an advanced stage. At that point, symptoms may include difficulty starting urination, weak or interrupted flow of urine, and frequent urination, especially at night. Other symptoms of advanced prostate cancer may include back or other bone pain, weakness, and unintended weight loss.
But these symptoms can have many other causes than prostate cancer, such as a harmless (benign) enlarged prostate. If you have any concerns about any of these symptoms, contact your health care professional.
Most patients with prostate cancer die of other causes, and many never know they have the disease. But once prostate cancer begins to grow quickly or spreads outside the prostate, it is dangerous.
Tests to Detect Prostate Cancer
A blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen (PSA) can be used to help with the detection of prostate cancer, although it is not recommended for screening in all cases. PSA is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland.
“In most of these cases, the prostate cancer may not require treatment, and the use of PSA testing to screen for prostate cancer is controversial,” says Daniel Suzman, M.D., a medical oncologist at the FDA.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force – an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine – recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men age 70 and older because of:
The lack of data that screening increases survival rates.
The risk of overtreatment, leading to side effects in men who otherwise would never have experienced any symptoms.
For men ages 55 to 69, the task force recommends an individualized discussion of the risk and benefits of screening.
The appearance of aggressiveness under the microscope is described by a Gleason score, which is assigned by the pathologist (a doctor who examines bodies and body tissues). Depending on the overall risk for prostate cancer that has spread outside the prostate, additional imaging may be needed to recommend a treatment plan. Read More |
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