The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland located under the bladder in males. Prostate cancer is a common type of cancer found in men and the American Cancer Society estimates that 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year. Prostate cancer can grow slowly and remain confined to the prostate gland or it can be aggressive and spread quickly.
Diagnosis
If prostate cancer is suspected, a doctor will perform a biopsy. The cells obtained from the biopsy are carefully studied under a microscope to see if cancer cells are present and to determine the cancer grade.
Cancer Grade
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, cancer grade is determined using the Gleason grading system. The Gleason scale uses the two largest areas of cancer found on the biopsy. These two areas are given numbers ranging from one to five. "Low grade" cells look very similar to normal cells and are numbered closest to one. "High grade" cancer cells do not resemble normal cells because they have drastically mutated. The two separate scores are then added together to obtain a Gleason score. A Gleason score of two to four is considered low grade; a score of five to seven is intermediate and a score eight to 10 is high grade.
Therapy
Several options are available for treating prostate cancer. In men who are diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer, watchful waiting is often recommended. Men who choose to watch and wait are monitored closely for any changes or sign of symptoms of advancing disease. Men who are in good health may have surgery to remove the prostate, and occasionally lymph nodes in the pelvis that are affected are also removed. Radiation therapy is used to kill cancer cells and stop them from multiplying. Men treated with radiation may be at increased risk of developing bladder and rectal cancer and can suffer from impotence and urinary problems, the National Cancer Institute states. Hormone therapy, which involves reducing the number of male sex hormones or preventing them from working, can also help treat prostate cancer.
Coping
The Mayo Clinic states that some men experience anger, frustration, fear and depression after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. To deal with these feelings, The Mayo Clinic recommends learning about prostate cancer to make treatment decisions; seek support from friends and family; find a cancer support group; eat nutritious meals and engage in exercise.
Prognosis
The prognosis for prostate cancer depends on age of the patient at the time of diagnosis, overall health of the patient, and the grade of cancer including whether or not it has spread to other parts of the body. The New York Times Health Guide states that if diagnosed early, the 10-year survival rate is 93 percent, with 77 percent living 15 years after diagnosis. If prostate cancer has spread to other organs, the average survival time is one to three years.
