What Is Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer that affects the prostate gland in men. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the US.
Growth in the prostate can be of two types
Prostate cancer starts in the prostate gland and may spread to the nearby areas: lymph nodes, organs, or bones in other parts of the body.
Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
In stage 3, cancer has now spread beyond the prostate and may have potentially spread into the nearby seminal vesicles.
- Stage IVA The tumor may have any size and has already spread to the regional lymph nodes but has not spread to other distant areas . There can be any PSA level and any Grade Group.
- Stage IVB The tumor may have any size and presents distant metastasis , without involving the lymph nodes . There can be any PSA level and any Grade Group.
Enzalutamide Improves Survival In Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Summary
In an international randomizedphase III clinical trial, the hormone therapy enzalutamide extended survival in men with metastatic prostate cancer that had progressed during treatment with androgen deprivation therapy. Participants in the trial had not received chemotherapy.
New England Journal of Medicine, June 1, 2014.
Background
Early in their development, prostate cancers need relatively high levels of male sex hormones to grow. The testes are the main source of androgens, and treatments that stop the testes from producing male sex hormonesknown as hormone therapy or androgen deprivation therapy are therefore a common treatment for androgen-sensitive prostate cancer. However, most prostate cancers eventually become castrate resistantthat is, they can grow even when androgen levels in the blood are very low. ADT does not block production of the small amount of androgen that is made by the adrenal glands and by prostate cancer cells themselves, and this low level is sufficient to fuel the growth of castrate-resistant prostate cancers.
Enzalutamide is among several hormone therapies that have been developed to prevent the androgen-fueled growth of castrate-resistant prostate cancers. This drug works by keeping androgens from binding to the androgen receptors on prostate cancer cells.
The Study
Men in the trial were randomly assigned to receive 160 mg of enzalutamide or a placebo taken orally once daily.
Results
- Posted:June 27, 2014
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What Are The Symptoms Of Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
While prostate cancer has very recognizable symptoms, the big problem is that these symptoms are very similar to other conditions, such as benign prostatic hypertrophy , and many men brush them off as just getting older. While many of these symptoms can be attributed to aging, it is vital for men to understand that they should not be ignored or marginalized. These symptoms should always be taken seriously. According to the American Cancer Society and the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of prostate cancer, and more specifically, stage 4 prostate cancer may include:
- Painful urination
- Bone pain, often in the hips, back, and upper legs
- Swelling in the legs
Experiencing these symptoms, especially a combination of these symptoms, is a sign that you need to see your physician without delay. As a wife, sister, and daughter, I have heard the men in my life, quite vociferously, explain how they dont want to go to the doctor especially for that exam. Please gentlemen, we beg you get it checked, and get it checked regularly a very quick exam could save your life. The American Cancer Society recommends the following screening times :
- Age 50 for men who are at average riskof prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years.
- Age 45 for men at high riskof developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age .
- Age 40 for men at even higher risk.
How We Treat Prostate Cancer
The prognosis for metastatic prostate cancer can be discouraging, but some treatment centerslike the Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancerspecialize in innovative, individualized therapy with the potential to improve outcomes.
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Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Treatments And Prognosis
Stage 4 prostate cancer is the most advanced stage of the disease. It means that cancer has spread beyond the prostate to distant areas of the body. Learn more about this stae, what treatments are available, and the prognosis.
Brianna Gilmartin / Verywell
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Improved Survival At 4 Years
In the ARASENS trial, nearly 1,300 participants were randomly assigned to receive darolutamide or a placebo . All participants received ADT within 12 weeks before randomization and six cycles of docetaxel starting within 6 weeks after randomization.
After 4 years, about 63% of patients who received darolutamide were still alive compared with about 50% of patients who received placebo. The group that received darolutamide lived longer even though most participants in the placebo group received other commonly used treatments, including abiraterone and enzalutamide, during follow-up.
Darolutamide resulted in other improvements as well. For example, among those treated with darolutamide, the time for their cancers to become resistant to hormone-suppressing therapies was longer, as was the time until the pain caused by their cancer got worse.
The frequency of serious side effectswhich included fatigue, falls, fractures, and cardiac issueswas similar in the two groups. Roughly two-thirds of the patients in both groups experienced serious side effects, most of which occurred when darolutamide were given at the same time as docetaxel.
Ethics Approval And Consent To Participate
As the data used was extracted from SEER dataset , Ethics approval and Consent to participate could be checked in SEER. We were permitted to have Internet access after our signed data-use agreement was approved by the SEER administration . The date collected from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine was approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhejiang University .
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Types Of Cancers That Are More Likely To Go Undetected
Some cancers are more easily detected than others. For example, certain types of skin cancer can be diagnosed initially just by visual inspection though a biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
But other cancers can form and grow undetected for 10 years or more, as one study found, making diagnosis and treatment that much more difficult.
This table provides an overview of common cancers that often display little or no symptoms early on, and how theyre typically detected and diagnosed:
| Type of cancer |
|---|
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Stage 2 Prostate Cancer
In stage 2, the tumor is still confined to your prostate and hasnt spread to lymph nodes or other parts of your body. A doctor may or may not be able to feel the tumor during a prostate exam, and it may appear on ultrasound imaging. The survival rate is still .
The PSA score for stage 2 is less than 20 ng/mL.
Stage 2 cancer is further divided into three phases depending on the grade group and Gleason scores:
- Gleason score: 6 or less
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What Is The Most Effective Treatment For Prostate Cancer
The choice of treatment for prostate cancer depends on many factors such as the patients prostate cancer risk as calculated from prostate-specific antigen levels, Gleason score, and tumor staging. Patients can discuss the significance of these factors in the choice of treatment with their doctor.
The standard effective treatment choices for men with early-stage prostate cancer are as follows
- Active surveillance: Monitoring the progression/status of the low-risk or early-stage cancer with regular testing and not treating it right away.
- Prostatectomy: Surgical removal of the prostate.
- Radiation therapy: Use of high-energy waves to destroy cancer cells.
Radiation therapy is one of the most effective treatments for many men with early-stage prostate cancer. It is also the best prostate cancer therapy for older men or those with other co-existing diseases. It can be delivered to the patient in any of the two ways
- External beam radiation: Sending/focusing high-energy waves from an external machine into the tumor.
- Brachytherapy: Placing a radioactive dye in the tumor through an implant or hollow tubes.
For metastatic prostate cancer, androgen deprivation therapy is usually the choice of treatment. ADT is also the only option in patients with prostate cancer who are unfit or unwilling to undergo surgery or/and radiation therapy.
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Survival Statistics For Prostate Cancer
Survival statistics for prostate cancer are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of people, they cannot be used to predict a particular person’s chances of survival. In general, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from the disease itself and will die from other causes.
There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain the statistics for prostate cancer and what they mean to you.
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What Is Stage 4 Cancer
Stage 4 is the most severe stage of cancer. Metastatic cancer is another name for this stage. It conveys that the cancer has metastasized spread to distant areas of the body.
Cancer is a group of diseases that cause rapid cell growth. Cancerous cells grow and reproduce uncontrollably in a certain area of the body, forming a tumor. As a tumor grows, the cancerous cells can spread to other areas of the body.
Doctors typically use a to determine how severe a case of cancer is. This helps them determine the best course of treatment.
A range of tests can help determine the stage of cancer. They include:
Doctors take other factors into account, too, including:
- the size of the primary tumor
- whether cancerous cells have entered the lymph nodes
- how far these cells have spread within the body
- the type of cancerous cells
- the persons overall health
Together, this information helps determine whether cancer is less advanced, at stage 1, very advanced, at stage 4, or somewhere in between.
Cancer can take an enormous emotional and physical toll. In the U.S. and other countries, many sources of support are available for a person with cancer and their family and friends.
Big organizations such as the provide a wealth of resources, including:
- information centers
What Is The Survival Rate Of Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
Doctors use the term stage to characterize the characteristics of the original tumor itself, such as its size and how far prostate cancer has spread when it is discovered, as they do with all malignancies.
Staging systems are difficult to understand. Most malignancies, including prostate cancer, are staged using three different elements of tumor growth and dissemination. The TNM system stands for tumor, nodes, and metastasis:
- T, for tumor describes the size of the main area of prostate cancer.
- N, for nodes, describes whether prostate cancer has spread to any lymph nodes, and how many and in what locations.
- M, for metastasis, means distant spread of prostate cancer, for example, to the bones or liver.
The TNM approach allows each mans prostate cancer to be characterized in depth and compared to the prostate cancers of other men. Doctors utilize this information to conduct research and make treatment decisions.
However, in terms of prostate cancer survival statistics, the staging method is straightforward. As previously stated, males with prostate cancer can be split into two groups in terms of survival rates:
- Men with prostate cancer that is localized to the prostate or just nearby.
- Prostate cancer has a high long-term survival percentage in these men. Almost all men will live for more than five years after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and many will live for much longer.
- Men whose prostate cancer has spread to distant areas, like their bones.
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Stage 4 Prostate Cancer: Survival Rates Treatment And Support
Prostate cancer is in stage 4 when the cancer spreads beyond the lymph nodes and into other areas of the body. While the vast majority of prostate cancer cases are caught before this happens, when the cancer is treatable, stage 4 is far more difficult to treat. Therefore, the survival rate among men with stage 4 prostate cancer is much lower.
There are two types of stage 4 prostate cancer: 4A and 4B, according to the American Cancer Society. The type assigned to a persons diagnosis is based on whether the cancer has spread and to what degree, and the value assigned to two additional factors called the Grade Group and the prostate-specific antigen . The Grade Group is a measure of how likely the cancer is to spread quickly, and the PSA is a measure of a protein in the blood produced by cells in the prostate.
With stage 4A, the tumor has already spread into the lymph nodes and may be spreading into tissues adjacent to the prostate, but has not spread to other areas of the body. The Grade Group can be of any value, as can the PSA.
With stage 4B, the tumor may have spread into the lymph nodes, may be spreading into nearby tissues and has spread to other areas of the body like the bones, certain organs and distant lymph nodes. The Grade Group and PSA can be of any value.
Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Life Expectancy
The five year survival rate for stage 1 prostate cancer is 100%, but stage 4 prostate cancer life expectancy is not very encouraging. While providing information on late stage prostate cancer life expectancy, this HealthHearty article also describes what is meant by staging and grading of prostate cancer.
The five year survival rate for stage 1 prostate cancer is 100%, but stage 4 prostate cancer life expectancy is not very encouraging. While providing information on late stage prostate cancer life expectancy, this HealthHearty article also describes what is meant by staging and grading of prostate cancer.
Statistics show that more and more men are being diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Various tests like PSA test, DRE test, ultrasound sonography, etc., help diagnose the cancer. Staging and grading of cancer not only help design the treatment but they also help determine how well the cancer may respond to the treatment. Staging, generally, is concerned with the spread of cancer. The Gleason grading system involves classification of cancer cells. It helps determine aggressiveness of the cells and their likelihood of spreading.
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Stage 3 Prostate Cancer
In stage 3, cancer has now spread beyond the prostate and may have potentially spread into the nearby seminal vesicles.
- Stage IIIA The tumor may involve both lobes of the prostate or less than that . There is no regional lymph node metastasis and no distant metastasis. . The PSA level is below or equal to 20 ng/ml. The Grade Group is 1-4.
- Stage IIIB The tumor extended through the prostatic capsule to the seminal vesicles or the adjacent structures, such as the bladder, muscles or the pelvic floor . There is no regional lymph node metastasis and no distant metastasis. . There can be any PSA level. The Grade Group is 1-4.
- Stage IIIC The tumor may or may not be extended through the prostatic capsule but has not spread to the regional lymph nodes or to other distant areas . There can be any PSA level. The Grade Group is 5.
What Is The Life Expectancy For Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer life expectancy is determined using five-year survival rates. This is the percentage of people who may still be alive five years after being diagnosed.
The five-year survival rate for men with localized prostate cancer, where there is no evidence of cancer spreading outside the prostate, and regional prostate cancer, when cancer has migrated outside the prostate to adjacent structures or lymph nodes exclusively, is approximately 100 percent.
When prostate cancer reaches stage 4 and has spread to other organs such as the lungs, liver, or bones, the five-year survival rate falls below 30%. At stage 4, prostate cancer is unlikely to be cured, although with effective therapy, many people can live for several years. The patients life expectancy is determined by the precise characteristics of his cancer.
However, thanks to routine screening procedures, prostate cancer is often discovered early, before it has spread to other organs, and it is usually not fatal. When diagnosed early, there are several treatment options available, as well as a good likelihood of a cure.
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