What it means to have prostate cancer today

2 months ago

Former President Biden's test spotlights some advances and challenges pinch nan disease.

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

President Biden's test pinch metastatic prostate crab highlights immoderate of nan advancement made successful treatments of nan disease, arsenic good arsenic immoderate of its challenges. NPR's user wellness analogous Yuki Noguchi joins america to talk what it each means. Hi, there.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Hi.

SUMMERS: Yuki, galore of america person often heard that prostate crab is common. What are nan risks of getting it and past surviving?

NOGUCHI: You know, it's nan astir communal shape of crab successful men. Only lung crab is much lethal. But location are immense caller developments successful narcotics and detection, truthful endurance is quickly increasing. Oncologist William Dahut is main technological serviceman of nan American Cancer Society. But earlier that, he researched prostate crab for 2 decades.

WILLIAM DAHUT: Prostate crab mortality has fallen by astir 50% since nan early '90s, which is simply a spectacular number.

NOGUCHI: I mean, it's a lot, and he says overmuch of that is because of earlier detection, arsenic good arsenic caller treatments that person made, you know, moreover faster-growing, fierce disease, for illustration erstwhile President Biden's, easier to fight.

SUMMERS: Now, what we've seen successful position of nan connection astir Biden's test mentions that his crab appears hormone-sensitive, and that's bully for prognosis. Can you explicate why?

NOGUCHI: Yeah. Earlier, I mentioned large advances successful crab treatments, and 1 of nan large ones is nan breakthrough successful knowing nan important roles hormones play successful feeding cancer. Hormones substance gynecologic cancers for illustration bosom aliases ovarian cancer, too. And it turns retired crab maturation tin besides beryllium interrupted by starving it of testosterone aliases estrogen. Now, this ability, successful general, to beryllium capable to target crab is very, very cardinal to knowing why crab is much survivable today. You know, being capable to place and termination only nan crab cells and not nan patient ones reduces those nasty broadside effects that tin make, you know, it very difficult for patients. Here's Dr. Dahut again.

DAHUT: Men who person a very agelong consequence to aggregate hormonal therapies are nan ones who, you know, person nan - benignant of nan champion wide value of life and thin to unrecorded nan longest pinch metastatic prostate cancer.

SUMMERS: Now, Yuki, we've been told that this was caught aft it had metastasized to his bones. And presumably presidents, they get much aesculapian attraction than nan remainder of us. So really mightiness this person gone undetected until it had spread?

NOGUCHI: Yeah. That's a bully question. You know, 1 of nan things that's true, generally, astir nan organization is that only astir a 3rd of men are screened for prostate cancer, you know, which starts retired pinch a humor trial and past an MRI, if you request it, and a biopsy. You know, entree to attraction for those things tin beryllium an rumor for nan wide public, particularly successful number communities. Obviously, that is not nan lawsuit for, you know, erstwhile President Joe Biden.

His crab is besides different successful that it is fierce and fast-growing, which, you know, typically, prostate crab is not. You know, but 1 - different logic why it mightiness not person been caught is that, you know, nan line gurus in, you know, nan U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (ph), you know, nary longer recommends regular screening for men complete nan property of 70. And that's because astir tumors are slow-growing...

SUMMERS: Right.

NOGUCHI: ...So location aren't a batch of benefits to curen astatine a definite age. So doctors often urge watchful waiting. But obviously, successful this case...

SUMMERS: OK.

NOGUCHI: ...With nan president, that's not going to work.

SUMMERS: NPR's Yuki Noguchi. Thank you.

NOGUCHI: Thank you.

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