Prostate cancer —- the hidden killer of older men’s health 

  Prostate cancer is the sixth most common malignancy in the world. In the United States, the incidence of prostate cancer ranks first among male malignancies, and the mortality rate is second only to lung cancer, with one out of every six older Americans suffering from prostate cancer. With the aging of China’s population, the incidence of prostate cancer is also increasing year by year, and its impact on the health of elderly men is gradually coming to the fore. The incidence of prostate cancer in the Shanghai area was 2.6/100,000 in 1985 and grew to 7.7/100,000 in 2000 and is expected to reach 100,000/100,000 in 2005. In Beijing, the incidence rate was 2.36/100,000 in 1985, and from 1985 to 1995, the number of prostate cancer cases in urban areas increased 2.3 times and is now expected to reach 100,000/100,000.   Bone metastasis is the main manifestation of advanced prostate cancer.  Prostate cancer is the malignancy most prone to bone metastasis, and more than 80% of prostate cancer patients will develop bone metastasis. Bone metastases can be found in the iliac bone, vertebrae, ribs, skull and proximal end of long bones, mostly in areas with rich blood flow in the middle axis of the bone. The most common and earliest clinical manifestation of prostate cancer metastases is pain in the bones. The constant dull pain often affects the appetite and daily rhythm of life of the patient, so that the patient loses weight and suffers from pain. Secondly, as the bone is “eaten” by the tumor cells little by little, the metastatic bones are prone to pathological fracture. If the tumor cells invade the patient’s vertebral body, then the collapse of the vertebral body will cause the symptoms of spinal cord compression, which will make the treatment more difficult.  The treatment of prostate cancer bone metastases is a combination of treatment The early stage of prostate cancer is often sensitive to androgen resistance therapy. However, as the disease progresses, this androgen-resistant treatment will gradually lose its effect while the prostate cancer progresses to an advanced stage. Androgens can be reduced to a certain level with oral medications (such as goserelin ) or (depot ) surgical intervention. To relieve the symptoms of bone pain, a special medication with bisphosphonates as the main ingredient is also used. With all of the above treatments the patient’s symptoms improve to varying degrees.  The most commonly accepted and effective method for early detection of prostate cancer is the rectal exam plus serum PSA concentration. Careful rectal examination is important for the early diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. PSA is a specific serum indicator of prostate cancer, usually ≤4ng/ml in normal individuals, and if it is higher than this, it will attract the doctor’s attention.  Men over 45 years of age are advised to visit a urology clinic every 3 months – 6 months for a detailed prostate related examination.