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Topics - Epidemiology & Incidence
- Symptoms, Diagnosis & Staging
- Treatments
- Most common cancer in Australian men.
- 2001 figures: one in 11 males in NSW will develop prostate cancer by the age of 75.
- Occurs mainly in men aged over 65 and is uncommon in men under 50.
- Unknown cause
- Increased chances:
- As you get older – nearly two–thirds of all new prostate cancers are found in men over the age of 65
- If your father or brother had prostate cancer.
- Early prostate cancer rarely causes symptoms – too small to put pressure on urethra.
- If cancer grows beyond the prostate (advanced P.C.) may cause:
- Pain or burning when urinating
- Pain during ejaculation
- Blood in urine
- Pain in lower back, hips or upper thighs
- Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
- Digital rectal examination
- Biopsy
- Blood Tests, Bone Scan, CT scan
- TNM (Tumour, Nodes, Metastases)
- Tumour
- T1: The tumour is found only in the prostate. It cannot be felt during a digital rectal examination
- T2: The tumour is located within the prostate only. It can be felt during a digital rectal examination
- T3: The tumour has spread from the prostate to nearby tissues such as the seminal vesicle glands, which produce semen
- T4: The tumour has spread beyond the prostate to the bones or lymph nodes
- Nodes
- N0: The cancer has not spread to any lymph nodes
- N1–3: means the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes near the prostate.
- Metastasis
- 1a, b or c shows that the cancer has spread to the bones or other organs of the body.
Treatments for Prostate Cancer
- Considerations:
- Grade of tumour
- Age
- General health
- Staging
- What side effects is the patient prepared to accept
- No immediate treatment may be recommended for when:
- Slow growing early stage cancer
- 70 years +
- Rationale:
- The side effect profile may have a greater impact on the patients life than the cancer.
