prostate cancer

In the past week, Francis Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, wrote in the Washington Post about his recent diagnosis of an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Cancer of the prostate gland is extremely common – so common, in fact, that in some form it will affect most men if they live long enough.

The practice of medicine is often far from straightforward, and simple logic can mislead.  For example, elevated values of the widely used Prostate-Specific Antigen, or PSA, blood test are considered an early indicator of prostate cancer

“Prostate cancer is not only the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men, but it also carries with it one of the largest racial disparities in outcomes in oncology.”

Here are the eleven from Nature, plus two bonus picks from me.

Prostate Cancer – Diagnosis and Staging

Prostate cancer, now considered the most common cancer in men, especially African-Americans, was uncommon until the 1950s.

By Paul Lange, MD, FASC

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, excluding skin cancers. It is, as a generalization, a slow process, and treatment include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapies.

Men considering vasectomy for a permanent form of birth control may be leery of the procedure because of fears that it might increase the risk of prostate cancer.