How is prostate cancer treated?

Sir Rod Stewart has urged men to get checked for prostate cancer after revealing he underwent treatment for the disease.
Sir Rod Stewart has urged men to get checkedSir Rod Stewart has urged men to get checked
Sir Rod Stewart has urged men to get checked

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, affecting around one in eight during their lifetime.

The disease develops when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way.

Read More
"It was a risk worth taking": How Matilda Moffatt gave hope to others with Batte...
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The test for prostate cancer is known as the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, however some men with elevated levels do not have the disease.

A biopsy is usually taken to confirm whether somebody has prostate cancer.

Treatment can include a watch-and-wait approach for cases where the disease is growing so slowly that it may never cause a problem or lead to death.

But some prostate cancers are more aggressive and need immediate treatment to stop them spreading.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Options can include surgery to remove the prostate, radiotherapy and hormone therapy.

Once the disease has spread to other organs, the goal is to extend life for as long as possible.

Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50, and the risk increases with age.

More than 47,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK and the disease kills more than 11,500 men every year.

Around 400,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer.

Related topics: