June 12-18,
2006 is Men's Health Week
FOCUS ON PROSTATE CANCER |
| |
|
|
|
|
In 2002, 190,096 men were
diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 30,446 men died from it .1
Prostate cancer is the
most common cancer, excluding skin cancer, and the second-leading
cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States.2
It is the sixth
leading cause of death for U.S. men overall.3
|
|
Prostate cancer incidence
rates rose dramatically in the late 1980s. This increase reflects
improvements in detection and diagnosis through widespread use of
prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. In the early 1990s,
prostate cancer incidence began declining and has leveled off in
recent years (2). Over the past 20 years, the survival rate for
prostate cancer has improved from 67% to 97%.4
The prostate cancer death rate has declined from 38.4 per 100,000 in
1990 to 26.5 in 2003.5 |
|
Top of Page |
|
EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT HEALTH DISPARITIES |
| |
| |
 |
In 2003, the prostate
cancer death rate for African American men was 57.4 per 100,000
population, more than twice as high as the rate for non-Hispanic
whites (24.6), Hispanics/Latinos (20.2), American Indians and Alaska
Natives (AI/ANs) (17.8), or Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
(AAPIs) (10.9).5 |
| |
|
From 2000-2003, the
prostate cancer incidence rate was 1.5 times higher for African
Americans (258.3 per 100,000 men) than for the total population
(170.3), and 1.6 times higher than for whtie men (163.4).6
Scientists do not know why it is more common in African American men
than it is in others. They are studying possible reasons,
including culture, environment, and differences in the biology of
the disease in African American men.7 |
| |
|
The lowest prostate cancer
incidence rates were found in AI/AN (70.7 per 100,000 men), followed
by AAPIs (96.8), and Hispanics/Latinos (141.1) in 2000-2003.6 |
| |
|
Age is the most important
risk factor for contracting prostate cancer.8
About 70% of all diagnosed prostate cancers are found in men
aged 65 years or older.4 From 2000-2003, the
median age at diagnosis for prostate cancer was 68 years of age;
the highest proportion of cancers were diagnosed in men ages 65-74
(37.0%).6 |
| |
|
From 1995-2001, African
American men had a lower 5-year survival rate (97.6%) than whites
(99.9%) and the total population (99.9%).9 |
| |
|
In 2004, men whose
education included a bachelor’s degree or higher were almost twice
as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer (3.0%) than men with less than a
high school diploma (1.6%).10 |
| |
|
In 2004, men in the
northeastern U.S. were about 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed
with prostate
cancer (2.1%) than men in the southern and western U.S. (1.4% each).10 |
|
Top of Page |
|
EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO REDUCE
DISPARITIES IN PROSTATE CANCER |
| |
|
There is no scientific
consensus on effective strategies to reduce risk of prostate cancer,
and public health agencies face significant challenges in
determining what actions to take to address prostate cancer.11 |
|
Age, race, and those with
a family history (those with a father or brother who has had
prostate cancer are at greater risk) are the three known risk
factors. The digital rectal examination
(DRE) and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test are two commonly
used methods for detecting prostate cancer.12
The
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found good evidence
that PSA screening can detect early-stage prostate cancer but mixed
and inconclusive evidence that early detection improves health
outcomes. The Task Force has therefore concluded that the evidence is
insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening for
prostate cancer using prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing or
digital rectal examination (DRE).13.
Race and age are the only clearly identified risk factors for
prostate cancer. African Americans and older men are at higher risk.12 |
To advance efforts targeting prostate cancer, CDC will |
| |
|
Conduct
surveillance activities to monitor the magnitude and scope of
prostate cancer and its incidence and mortality trends in the U.S.
population. |
| |
|
Implement,
as appropriate, recommendations from the December 2000 prostate
cancer meeting of health care providers, researchers, survivors,
advocates, and others with expertise in prostate cancer; conduct
epidemiologic and behavioral research to build the science base for
this disease. |
| |
|
Promote
research to evaluate factors which most impact screening and
treatment decisions. |
| |
|
Promote and
disseminate informed decision-making materials nationwide.11 |
|
Top of Page |
|
CDC ACTIVITIES & PROGRAMS TARGETING
PROSTATE CANCER |
| |
|
CDC engages in the
following activities, which will further efforts to develop and
deliver appropriate public health strategies for prostate cancer and
will improve information sharing between providers and their
patients related to screening. |
| |
|
Conduct
research and develop materials on how to communicate information and
promote informed decision making about prostate cancer screening.
|
| |
|
Enhance
prostate cancer data in cancer registries, especially information on
the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis, quality of care, and
race and ethnicity of the man diagnosed with prostate cancer. |
| |
|
Sponsor
research on whether screening for prostate cancer reduces deaths
caused by the disease and on knowledge and awareness of prostate
cancer screening among men and health care providers. |
| |
|
Provide
funding to states, tribes/tribal organizations, and U.S. territories
for prostate cancer activities identified in their comprehensive
cancer control plans.3
|
|
Top of Page |
|
FOR MORE
INFORMATION |
| |
|
|
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
| |
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
(NCCDPHP) |
| |
|
Cancer Prevention and Control |
| |
|
Prostate Cancer: The Public Health Perspective |
| |
|
Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide |
| |
|
Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide for African Americans |
| |
|
Prostate Cancer Control Initiatives |
|
National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
| |
Medline Plus |
| |
|
Prostate Cancer |
| |
|
Prostate Diseases |
| |
National Cancer Institute (NCI) |
| |
|
Prostate Cancer |
| |
|
What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer |
| |
NIH Senior Health |
| |
|
Prostate Cancer |
|
Federal Citizen Information Center |
| |
Understanding Prostate Changes: A Health Guide for All Men
|
|
Top of Page |
