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Prostate
Cancer & the Prostate
What is the Prostate?
The prostate is a chestnut shaped gland surrounding the beginning
of the urethra in the male. It varies in size according to the
patient's age. It is located under the bladder in front of the
rectum. Contrary to many generally accepted ideas the prostate
is not linked to sexual desire or related to the mechanisms of
erection. In fact, the function of the prostate gland is to produce
the major part of the seminal fluid which is used as a means
of transportation of sperm.
What is Cancer?
Normal cells in the body are constantly dividing, maturing and
then dying in a tightly controlled process. Cells are called
cancerous when their growth is no longer well-regulated. Instead
of dying, as they should, cancer cells outlive normal cells and
continue to form new, abnormal cells. Abnormal cell growths are
called tumors. Prostate cancer occurs when cells within the prostate
grow uncontrollably, creating small tumors. Prostate cancer is
typically comprised of multiple, very small tumors within the
prostate. When the tumors are confined to the prostate the disease
is often curable (rates of 90% or better) using interventions
such as surgery or Ablatherm® HIFU that aim to remove or
kill all cancerous cells in the prostate. Signs and symptoms
are usually not evident in the early stages of prostate cancer.
How Common is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is the leading cancer among men in the USA and
the second most common malignancy in males worldwide after lung
cancer. It is estimated that 38.7 million men in North America,
Europe and Japan have prostate cancer. Incidence varies in different
countries. A low of 3.5 per 100,000 new cases occur annually
in Singapore while approximately 240,000 new cases of cancer
of the prostate are diagnosed each year in the United States.
How is Prostate Cancer Diagnosed?
The only way to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer is
to perform a biopsy.
Once a definite diagnosis of cancer has been made the next step
is to know what the cancer's stage is. This cancer staging helps
determine which treatment will work the best. There are 3 basic
stages of Prostate Cancer:
- Early stage cancer confined to the prostate (T-1, T-2)
- Locally advanced cancer extending beyond the prostate (T-3)
- Metastatic cancer which has spread to other organs such as
lymph nodes or bones (T-4)
Ablatherm® HIFU is only recommended for treatment of the
early stage cancer confined to the prostate gland (T-1 and T-2).
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