Prostate cancer Tx. Therapeutic options based on tumor grade, life expectancy, and patient preferences

Cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy in American men. Its incidence is associated with age, race, family history, and life style factors, such as high-fat diets. Some men develop prostate cancer before age 55, but 80% of tumors occur in men older than age 65. For organ-confined prostate cancers, treatment options include observation, radical prostatectomy, external beam or interstitial radiation, and cryoablation. The appropriate therapeutic decision is based on analysis of multiple factors by the physician and the individual patient. Advanced prostate cancer remains incurable, but hormonal manipulation and newer chemotherapeutic regimens offer palliation in later stages of the disease.