Researchers have found early radiation therapy after a prostatectomy may reduce the chance of recurrence.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be close to 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States this year, while more than 30,000 of these men will die from the disease. The normal life expectancy for men with prostate cancer is five years. Surgery, radiation, and hormone treatment are the most common treatments for prostate cancer. One of the most common operations is a prostatectomy in which the entire prostate gland and some tissue around it are removed. This surgery is done only if it appears the cancer has not spread outside the prostate.