Prostate cancer: a patient's perspective

During the last few years a tremendous amount of media attention has been focused on prostate cancer. This increased visibility has been the direct result of the prostate specific antigen test, which has led to a doubling of the number of new cases detected in just 4 years. With this visibility has come controversy about which treatment is the most effective or whether this disease should be treated aggressively at all. The formation and rapid expansion of the prostate cancer support group movement are reviewed, and the positive and negative impacts of media coverage on present and future patients are assessed. My personal case is reviewed briefly to make a specific point about the hazards of watchful waiting. Other issues, such as mass screening, Prostate Cancer Awareness Week and expenditures for prostate cancer research, are examined in some detail.