This supplement is an independent publication from Raconteur MediaOctober 28 2009
PROSTATE CANCER
It can only
get better
Every hour in the UK another man dies of prostate cancerand four more are diagnosed with the disease. This yeararound 10,000 men will die from the disease and another35,000 will be diagnosed. Roger Dobson reportsDeaths and new diagprlipeople, including w
Deaths and new diagnoses ofDprostate cancer now touch theDlives of almost half a millionDpeople, including wives, partners, chil-dren, parents, and friends of the men,each year. The good news is that there havenever been as many treatment choices,nor as much research under way onprevention, as well as testing and newtherapies. But there is still no national screen-ing, although advances are being madein testing technology, and research hasshown that using the existing andwidely used prostate-specific antigenor PSA test could lead to a substantialnumber of tumours being diagnosedat an earlier and more treatable stage,albeit at the expense of overdiagnosis. Prostate cancer is the most commoncancer in men in the UK and nowaccounts for nearly a quarter of all newcancer diagnoses in men, and the life-time risk of being diagnosed with thedisease is one in 10 for men in the UK. Although the number of cases diag-nosed has increased from 23,741 in1997 to 35,515 in 2006 –a rise of 50per cent –much of the increase isdown to the incidental discovery ofthe cancer, often a consequence of therise in PSA testing. Prostate cancer was once regardedas an inevitable consequence of oldage and there was little investment, butadvances are being made in all areas.“It was considered a disease of oldmen. The feeling was they’d had agood life, and that was that,” says Pro-fessor Malcolm Mason, from CardiffUniversity and Cancer Research UK’sprostate cancer expert. “Thankfully,all that has now changed. “It is a very exciting time in prostatecancer, and we are going to see bigchanges in the coming years in ourunderstanding and treatment of thedisease. New drugs are on the horizon,and more intelligent way of usingthem, by targeting the people who willbenefit. “For many years we have seen thebiology of breast and colon cancersbeing better understood, and now thebiology of prostate cancer is beingunravelled. We are moving towards asituation where we will be able to iden-tify those men at risk. If we don’t yetknow why some men get prostate can-Making the right choiceFew diseases have as many treatment choicesas prostate cancer, from radioactive seeds andsurgery, to drugs and hormones.page 8-9Movember is a month-long celebration of the moustache or ´mo´, highlighting men´s health issues, specificallyprostate cancer. Get mo-ving: uk.movember.comcer, we are discovering why some can-cers behave differently. The good newsis that we are moving towards beingable to tailor therapies to individualsso that each patient can have the bestpossible treatment for his condition.”Men are becoming more aware ofthe disease, and its symptoms, andtheir risks, and increasing numbers ofmen are seeing their GPs and beingtested. More men are also being pickedup in the early stages of the diseasewhen it is most treatable. Although the cause or causes of thedisease remain elusive, clues are nowbeing found. While diet is high on theTo test or not to testGetting diagnosed before the cancer has spreadtoo far is vital, but just when should you have atest?list of suspects, new ones are emerg-ing, including the XMRV virus whichhas been found in malignant humanprostate cancer cells. “Around the world, extensive work isbeing undertaken to identify risk factorsContinued on page 3page 10Bones and prostate cancer A third of all cases of prostate cancers are onlydiagnosed when it has spread to other sites,including bone.page 13Experienced consultant led urological diagnosis and treatment focussed to individual needs• Advanced diagnostic tests and minimally invasive treatments • Undisputed leaders in UK computer assisted robotic surgery* • Rapid recovery For information and appointments: 01753 847247 www.windsorurology.co.uk*at the time of going to press more robotic assisted surgery was performed by WU at Wexham Park Hospital than any other DGH in the UK