In 1997, prostate cancer will be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men, excluding skin cancers. These statistics are on the rise, and there has been a significant increase in the number of prostate cancer cases over the past 35 years. In fact, African-American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world. Because of this fact, any African-American man over the age of 40 must be considered at high risk for this disease. Unfortunately, there is often a perception among the general population and within some medical circles that prostate cancer is not a serious disease, one that often needs no treatment, and only simple surveillance or observation is required to manage it.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
While prostate cancer is a disease found more frequently in older men, and some who have the disease diagnosed later in life would not be candidates for treatment, it also occurs in younger men whose life is dramatically shortened by this disease. Furthermore, the disease in its terminal stages causes untold pain and suffering due to bone metastasis and major organ involvement. Prostate cancer closely parallels breast cancer in age of onset, incidence, five year survival rates and death rate. The techniques for early detection of breast cancer are generally well accepted, but are not significantly more accurate or more effective than the tools available today for the early detection of prostate cancer. With the discovery of PSA and with the development of transrectal ultrasonic-controlled prostatic biopsies, the ability of American urologists to diagnose this disease at an early stage has been enormously enhanced.