Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men. Every year almost 27,000 die from this disease. 200,000 men are diagnosed with this cancer. The chances of getting prostate cancer are greater after the age of 50. Prostate cancer starts when the cells in the prostate gland grow out of control. Men are the only ones who have the prostate gland. The prostate is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It’s about the size and shape of a walnut and its function is to produce fluid that transports sperm. 5 to 10 percent of all prostate cancers that are diagnosed are hereditary; that means there is a higher risk if the cancer runs in the family. There are many risk factors of prostate cancer such as gene …show more content…
These include: radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy, cryotherapy, and vaccine treatment. The most common treatment is surgery for prostate cancer. The main type of surgery is radical prostatectomy. During this operation, the surgeon removes the entire prostate gland along with some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles. Radiation may also be done as the first treatment for this cancer if it is still low grade and just in the prostate gland. Chemotherapy is only used if the cancer has spread outside of the gland and if the hormone therapy doesn’t work. You can also do a vaccine treatment; the most common is Sipuleucel- T (provenge) which boosts the immune system to help it attack prostate cancer cells. Although the vaccine hasn’t been shown to stop the prostate cancer from growing, it has seemed to help men live an average of several months longer. Cryotherapy is sometimes used to treat the early stages of prostate cancer. During this procedure, doctors use a TRUS to guide several hollow probes through the skin between the anus and scrotum and into the prostate. Then very cold gases are passed through the needles to freeze and kill the prostate