Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer (not including skin cancer) among American men and the second leading cause of cancer death.

This year, the American Cancer Society estimates 232,090 cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. About 30,350 men will die of the disease.

The risk for developing prostate cancer increases with age. More than two-thirds of cases are diagnosed after 65. The cancer is 60 percent more common among African-American men. African-American men are twice as likely as whites to die from it. Men having a father or brother with prostate cancer have double the risk of the disease. Prostate cancer also appears to be higher in men who eat a lot of red meat, consume high amounts of high-fat dairy products, and are physically inactive or obese.

More than 80 percent of men with prostate cancer are diagnosed while the disease is still confined to the prostate or hasn't spread much beyond the prostate. At this stage, treatments are usually very successful and nearly 100 percent survive five or more years. Once prostate cancer spreads to distant areas of the body, the disease becomes more difficult to treat or control. Five-year survival rates for men whose cancer has advanced to distant sites is about 34 percent.

Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer

In early stages, doctors may be able to perform surgery to remove the tumor. However, once the cancer spreads to other areas of the body, surgery isn't enough. One treatment that may be offered to men with advanced prostate cancer is hormone therapy. Prostate cancer cells appear to be dependent on the male hormone, testosterone, to grow and multiply. Hormone therapy lowers the level of testosterone in the body. Although the treatment isn't a cure, doctors hope it will shrink existing tumors and reduce symptoms of the cancer (like urinary problems or pain).

Hormone therapy is traditionally given by injection every one, three or four months. Since many men are reluctant to have shots, there is now another option. It's called Viadur(r). Viadur is an implant system that contains the hormone medication, leuprolide acetate. The implant is about the size of a thick toothpick; inside is a compartment that contains the active drug. To place the implant, a physician numbs the patient's arm and makes a tiny incision into the skin. The implant is placed just under the skin and the incision is closed.

Once in place, Viadur provides slow, continuous release of the hormone medication for one year. At the end of the year, the old implant is removed by making a tiny nick in the skin. If treatment is still needed, a new implant can be placed in the same pocket. Removal and insertion of the implant takes only a few minutes and can be done in the doctor's office.

Viadur is approved for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Side effects of the treatment may include temporary bruising, itching or redness at the insertion site, hot flashes, lack of energy, sweating, depression, headache and breast enlargement.

This type of therapy is available at the Nebraska Medical Center. For information you can call the Nebraska Medical Center at 1-800-922-0000.

SOURCES

National Cancer Institute, http://www.nci.nih.gov