Adapted for the Canadian edition by Michael Robinette, MD
Cancer of the prostate is the most common cancer in American and Canadian men, overtaking both lung cancer and cancer of the colon and rectum during the 1980s. Since this is usually a disease of men over 65, the increase appears to be due to the aging of the population. The National Cancer Institute of Canada estimates that, in 1995,16,100 men will be diagnosed with cancer of the prostate and 4,200 will die of it. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Prostate cancer is not related to the problem of an enlarged prostate in most older men, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
If the disease is to be cured it has to be discovered before it spreads beyond the prostate gland. Unfortunately, only about one-half of newly diagnosed patients fall into this category. New understanding of the importance of a specific blood test, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), in the early detection of prostate cancer, coupled with advances in ultrasound imaging and increased public awareness of the need for early discovery, may eventually improve the chances for a cure of this disease. But even then, the benefit is uncertain. Most men with prostate cancer will die from other illnesses never knowing they had the problem.
