Author: Dr Charles J. Ryan University of California San Francisco 2008-07-28
Introduction
Approximately 230,000 new cases of prostate
cancer are diagnosed in the United States annually, making it the most
common cancer affecting American men besides superficial skin cancers.
Although it is a highly curable malignancy when treated in its early
stages, approximately 50-60,000 men experience a relapse of the disease
annually, and approximately 5-10% harbor advanced disease at the time of
diagnosis, and are thus considered unable to be cured with surgery or
radiation. Approximately 30,000 American men die of the disease every
year. Death rates from prostate cancer have been steadily declining
since the 1990s, a result of the combination of early detection and
improved treatment of localized disease as well as improved therapies
for men with advanced disease.