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NorthShore University HealthSystem Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Center team
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About Prostate Cancer
Next to skin cancer,
prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. For men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer, it can be confusing to know which treatment is best for their particular situation - active surveillance (sometimes referred to as watchful waiting), radiation, surgery or hormone therapy among others . Our experts in medical oncology, urology, surgery and radiation oncology have established the
Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Center to offer men the full range of options and help them navigate the treatment and symptom management process.
In addition NorthShore University HealthSystem has an extensive prostate cancer clinical research program that offers ground-breaking trials to patients at nearly any stage of prostate cancer.
Risk Factors
The major risk factors for prostate cancer include genetic, dietary and environmental factors that effect male hormones and make a man more susceptible to this cancer.
Some evidence has suggested that heredity may play a role in prostate cancers. Men with a
family history of the disease have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Having one family member with prostate cancer doubles a man's own risk and having three family members poses an 11-fold risk for the disease. A number of genes are under investigation but the genetic mechanism appears to be very complex. Some early-onset cases of prostate cancer associated with specific inherited genes have been identified, but they account for a small percentage of cases.
A Western lifestyle is associated with prostate cancer, so obesity, high-meat intake, and dietary fats have been intensively studied. Results have been inconsistent, however. Certain factors, such as carcinogenic compounds in well-cooked meat or high-calorie intake, may help explain the associations between such dietary factors and cancer risk.
Signs and Symptoms
Prostate cancer is a disease that presents a great challenge for physicians, their patients and patients' families. Typically, men who have the disease are asymptomatic until the disease spreads. Autopsy studies suggest many more men die with the disease rather than from it. In fact, many men are never affected by their disease, even though they may have had it for many years.