[Prostate cancer - a disease in transformation]

This article introduces a series of articles covering some of the most important aspects of contemporary prostate cancer care. After the introduction of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and systematic prostate biopsies in the early 1990s, the incidence of localised prostate cancer and the use of radical treatment rose dramatically. Improved diagnostic methods and understanding of the tumour biology now reduce overdiagnosis and pave the way for organised screening. New and more effective treatments, in combination with the stage shift from advanced to localised disease at the time of diagnosis, have reduced the age-standardised prostate cancer specific mortality by half in men under the age of 85 years. The National Prostate Cancer Register of Sweden (NPCR) has evolved over the past 25 years and now comprehensively supports clinical care and is an invaluable research data source. Patients' organisations have emerged as important players on the national arena.