Syllabus
In this Understanding Prostate Cancer course, you are provided with an introduction to biology
of prostate cancer, as well as how it is identified and treated at various stages of the disease.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Examine the biology, incidents, and risk factors of prostate cancer. (Module 1)
• Understand how prostate cancer is found, diagnosed, and staged. (Module 2)
• Gain understanding of how localized prostate cancer is treated. (Module 3)
Basic Introduction to prostate cancer
Over one million men worldwide and 230,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with
prostate cancer every year.
300,000 men worldwide and 30,000 men in the US are dying from prostate cancer every
year. As people live longer the incidence of prostate cancer is rising worldwide, and prostate
cancer continues to be a major health problem.
Thanks to years of dedication and commitment to research, we've made advances in the
treatment of prostate cancer.
But there is still work to be done, in understanding how prostate cancer is developed and
treated.
• What is it? how it is identified and treated at various stages of the disease.
• Define risk factors of prostate cancer
• Describe current prostate cancer screening guidelines.
• Interpret prostate cancer staging.
• Discuss treatments for localized prostate cancer as well as advanced prostate
cancer, discuss treatments for how to alleviate the symptoms caused by prostate
cancer.
This Understanding Prostate Cancer course should be helpful to anyone who wants to develop
a deeper understanding of prostate cancer biology and treatment. It should be useful to
students, healthcare providers, data managers, and educators who wish to develop a better
understanding of prostate cancer and how it affects the individuals.
Introduction to Biology, Incidence, and Risk Factors for Prostate
Cancer
Welcome to the first lecture in our understanding the prostate cancer course.
,This lecture will cover the:
• Biology, incidents and risk factors for prostate cancer.
• It will also cover screening.
• By the time you finish this lesson you'll be able to
• Locate the prostate in the body.
• Distinguish between benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH and cancer.
• Define risk factors for prostate cancer.
• Discuss current prostate cancer screening guidelines.
Note: Pay special attention to the screening guidelines for prostate cancer as well as the new
tests that are being developed to improve the effectiveness of PSA as a screening tool.
Biology and incidence
The prostate
• The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut
• it sits below the bladder.
• It is only found in men.
• It is thought to help protect the urinary tract from infections.
The prostate is one of the male sex organs
• It produces prostate specific antigen, or PSA,
an enzyme that helps liquefy the ejaculate.
• It's important to note that the prostate is not
necessary for erections or for reproduction.
It is thought that evolutionarily, it is really
there to protect the urinary tract from
infections
Confusion Between BPH and Cancer
, • Many people confuse benign prostatic hyperplasia
or BPH with cancer, BPH is not cancer.
• With age, the prostate often gets larger, this is termed
benign prostatic hyperplasia, sometimes it's termed
benign prostatic hypertrophy.
• Either way, men refer to this as Bhupali
• This benign enlargement of the prostate can make it
difficult to urinate.
• It is treated with medicines or surgery, it is not cancer, it
is not related to the risk of developing cancer.
• This is very important to understand. It is a different
disease than cancer itself. And is treated very
differently.
Prostate cancer
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
• One in seven men in the US will be diagnosed in their
lifetime.
• There are approximately 200 to 220,000 new cases
diagnosed every year in the US.
• It is the second leading cause of cancer death in
men, approximately 27,000 men die every year of
prostate cancer in the United States.
• An estimated 1.1 million men worldwide are diagnosed
yearly with prostate cancer. This represents 15% of the
lethal cancers diagnosed in men.
• 70% of these cases occur in more developed
countries. As man live longer, more prostate cancer is
diagnosed.
• Prostate cancer incidence varies more than 25-fold worldwide.
, • The rates are highest in Australia, New Zealand, and Northern America, and low in Asian
populations.
• An estimated 300,000 deaths are attributed to prostate cancer yearly.
• It is the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in men around the world, representing
about 7% of the total cancer deaths for men
Let’s step back a second and think about, what is cancer?
• Cancer means uncontrolled growth. It's a disease caused by uncontrolled division
of abnormal cells in a part of the body.
• Cancer can also be referred to as a tumor. A tumor is defined as a swelling of a part of
the body, generally without inflammation, caused by an abnormal growth of tissue. A
tumor can be benign or malignant.
• Cancer is often referred to as a neoplasm. Neoplasm simply means a new and abnormal
growth of tissue in some part of the body. Therefore, when you talk about cancer, or
people talk about cancer, they use the words cancer, tumor, or neoplasm all to mean
the same thing.
Prostate cancer is an Adenocarcinoma
Cancers are classified according to the tissue where they originate, there are four main types.
1. Carcinomas arise in epithelial tissue that is found in the internal and external lining of
the body.
2. Adenocarcinomas develop in an organ or gland.
3. Squamous cell carcinomas develop in the squamous epithelium of organs, including the
skin, bladder, esophagus, and lung.
4. Other types of cancers
• A sarcoma arises from connective tissue that is found in bones, tendons, cartilage,
muscle, and fat.
• Leukemias are cancers of the blood that originate in bone marrow.
• Lymphomas are cancers of the lymph system.
Cancer is a genetic disease
• Cancer is a genetic disease. It is caused by an accumulation of detrimental variations in
the genome over the course of a lifetime.
• Most of the time, a single mutation is not sufficient to induce cancer formation. It takes
many mutations to the genome.
• That's what we see here. Cancer is a disease of multiple genetic alterations.
In this Understanding Prostate Cancer course, you are provided with an introduction to biology
of prostate cancer, as well as how it is identified and treated at various stages of the disease.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Examine the biology, incidents, and risk factors of prostate cancer. (Module 1)
• Understand how prostate cancer is found, diagnosed, and staged. (Module 2)
• Gain understanding of how localized prostate cancer is treated. (Module 3)
Basic Introduction to prostate cancer
Over one million men worldwide and 230,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with
prostate cancer every year.
300,000 men worldwide and 30,000 men in the US are dying from prostate cancer every
year. As people live longer the incidence of prostate cancer is rising worldwide, and prostate
cancer continues to be a major health problem.
Thanks to years of dedication and commitment to research, we've made advances in the
treatment of prostate cancer.
But there is still work to be done, in understanding how prostate cancer is developed and
treated.
• What is it? how it is identified and treated at various stages of the disease.
• Define risk factors of prostate cancer
• Describe current prostate cancer screening guidelines.
• Interpret prostate cancer staging.
• Discuss treatments for localized prostate cancer as well as advanced prostate
cancer, discuss treatments for how to alleviate the symptoms caused by prostate
cancer.
This Understanding Prostate Cancer course should be helpful to anyone who wants to develop
a deeper understanding of prostate cancer biology and treatment. It should be useful to
students, healthcare providers, data managers, and educators who wish to develop a better
understanding of prostate cancer and how it affects the individuals.
Introduction to Biology, Incidence, and Risk Factors for Prostate
Cancer
Welcome to the first lecture in our understanding the prostate cancer course.
,This lecture will cover the:
• Biology, incidents and risk factors for prostate cancer.
• It will also cover screening.
• By the time you finish this lesson you'll be able to
• Locate the prostate in the body.
• Distinguish between benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH and cancer.
• Define risk factors for prostate cancer.
• Discuss current prostate cancer screening guidelines.
Note: Pay special attention to the screening guidelines for prostate cancer as well as the new
tests that are being developed to improve the effectiveness of PSA as a screening tool.
Biology and incidence
The prostate
• The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut
• it sits below the bladder.
• It is only found in men.
• It is thought to help protect the urinary tract from infections.
The prostate is one of the male sex organs
• It produces prostate specific antigen, or PSA,
an enzyme that helps liquefy the ejaculate.
• It's important to note that the prostate is not
necessary for erections or for reproduction.
It is thought that evolutionarily, it is really
there to protect the urinary tract from
infections
Confusion Between BPH and Cancer
, • Many people confuse benign prostatic hyperplasia
or BPH with cancer, BPH is not cancer.
• With age, the prostate often gets larger, this is termed
benign prostatic hyperplasia, sometimes it's termed
benign prostatic hypertrophy.
• Either way, men refer to this as Bhupali
• This benign enlargement of the prostate can make it
difficult to urinate.
• It is treated with medicines or surgery, it is not cancer, it
is not related to the risk of developing cancer.
• This is very important to understand. It is a different
disease than cancer itself. And is treated very
differently.
Prostate cancer
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
• One in seven men in the US will be diagnosed in their
lifetime.
• There are approximately 200 to 220,000 new cases
diagnosed every year in the US.
• It is the second leading cause of cancer death in
men, approximately 27,000 men die every year of
prostate cancer in the United States.
• An estimated 1.1 million men worldwide are diagnosed
yearly with prostate cancer. This represents 15% of the
lethal cancers diagnosed in men.
• 70% of these cases occur in more developed
countries. As man live longer, more prostate cancer is
diagnosed.
• Prostate cancer incidence varies more than 25-fold worldwide.
, • The rates are highest in Australia, New Zealand, and Northern America, and low in Asian
populations.
• An estimated 300,000 deaths are attributed to prostate cancer yearly.
• It is the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in men around the world, representing
about 7% of the total cancer deaths for men
Let’s step back a second and think about, what is cancer?
• Cancer means uncontrolled growth. It's a disease caused by uncontrolled division
of abnormal cells in a part of the body.
• Cancer can also be referred to as a tumor. A tumor is defined as a swelling of a part of
the body, generally without inflammation, caused by an abnormal growth of tissue. A
tumor can be benign or malignant.
• Cancer is often referred to as a neoplasm. Neoplasm simply means a new and abnormal
growth of tissue in some part of the body. Therefore, when you talk about cancer, or
people talk about cancer, they use the words cancer, tumor, or neoplasm all to mean
the same thing.
Prostate cancer is an Adenocarcinoma
Cancers are classified according to the tissue where they originate, there are four main types.
1. Carcinomas arise in epithelial tissue that is found in the internal and external lining of
the body.
2. Adenocarcinomas develop in an organ or gland.
3. Squamous cell carcinomas develop in the squamous epithelium of organs, including the
skin, bladder, esophagus, and lung.
4. Other types of cancers
• A sarcoma arises from connective tissue that is found in bones, tendons, cartilage,
muscle, and fat.
• Leukemias are cancers of the blood that originate in bone marrow.
• Lymphomas are cancers of the lymph system.
Cancer is a genetic disease
• Cancer is a genetic disease. It is caused by an accumulation of detrimental variations in
the genome over the course of a lifetime.
• Most of the time, a single mutation is not sufficient to induce cancer formation. It takes
many mutations to the genome.
• That's what we see here. Cancer is a disease of multiple genetic alterations.
