Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the United States. 240,000 men were newly diagnosed in 2013.
The cause of prostate cancer is unclear, but risk factors include older age, smoking, obesity, a diet in high in saturated fats are thought to be risk factors.
Although prostate cancer screening is commonplace, its benefits have recently become more controversial as the test may also identify less aggressive disease and therefore subject some patients to pursue treatment which may not necessarily benefit them. However, there are few sign and symptoms in prostate cancer such as urinary hesitancy and frequency, occasionally back pain which makes prostate cancer screening attractive.
Because of screening, most prostate cancer is found in the early stages. Prostate cancer treatment usually depends upon the stage. Early prostate cancer treatment usually entails surgery or radiation with consideration of medication to reduce testosterone in the body. Because prostate cancer is usually diagnosed early survival rates in early prostate cancer are good, with survival rates approaching or better than 90% in various studies.
Occasionally, prostate cancer is aggressive, and can spread (metastasize) to the lymph nodes and/or bones.
Recently, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) had its annual meeting in Chicago. In the plenary session, a new standard of care in newly diagnosed metastatic hormone responsive prostate cancer was presented. In the study performed by ECOG, 790 men with metastatic prostate cancer were followed from 2006 to 2012 with one group treated with reduction of testosterone, and another group treated with reduction and chemotherapy. In the study, the group which was treated with both reduction and chemotherapy were found to live longer on average than the group who received only the reduction.
As medical oncologists in the Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Woodland Hills, Dr Omid Shaye, Dr Ashkan Lashkari and Dr. Christopher Ho wanted our patients to know the very latest in prostate cancer therapy. Please call our office for an appointment to discuss treatment options.
