PROSTATE CANCER

Course overview

WORLDWIDE, PROSTATE CANCER IS THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED MALIGNANCY AND THE SIXTH LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH IN MEN. IN 2012, THIS AMOUNTED TO 1,100,000 NEWLY DIAGNOSED CASES AND 307,000 DEATHS AROUND THE WORLD FROM THIS DISEASE. FORTUNATELY, THE MAJORITY OF PROSTATE CANCERS TEND TO GROW SLOWLY, ARE LOW-GRADE AND NOT EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE. TYPICALLY, THERE ARE NO INITIAL OR EARLY SYMPTOMS BUT LATE SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE FATIGUE DUE TO ANEMIA, BONE PAIN, AND PARALYSIS FROM SPINAL METASTASES, AND RENAL FAILURE FROM BILATERAL URETERAL OBSTRUCTION. DIAGNOSIS IS PRIMARILY BASED ON PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) TESTING, AND TRANSRECTAL ULTRASOUND-GUIDED (TRUS) PROSTATE TISSUE BIOPSIES, ALTHOUGH PSA TESTING FOR SCREENING REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. WHEN THE CANCER IS LIMITED TO THE PROSTATE, IT IS CONSIDERED LOCALIZED AND POTENTIALLY CURABLE. IF THE DISEASE HAS SPREAD TO THE BONES OR ELSEWHERE OUTSIDE THE PROSTATE, PAIN MEDICATIONS, BISPHOSPHONATES, RANK LIGAND INHIBITORS, HORMONAL TREATMENT, CHEMOTHERAPY, RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, IMMUNOTHERAPY, FOCUSED RADIATION, AND OTHER TARGETED THERAPIES CAN BE USED. OUTCOMES ARE LARGELY BASED ON AGE, ASSOCIATED HEALTH PROBLEMS, TUMOR HISTOLOGY AND THE EXTENT OF CANCER. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR AFFECTED PATIENTS.