2003 Cancer Facts

Per the American Cancer Society

Over 10 million Americans have cancer today.
There will be over 1.3 million new cases this year.
There will be over a million skin cancer cases
Cancer will cause over 550,00 deaths this year.
(this is 1 of every 4 deaths)
The cost for cancer in the US is $171,600,000,000 per year
(this includes medical treatment and lost productivity)
During their lifetime, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will get cancer!

http://cancertrials.nci.nih.gov/types/prostate/pcos0500.html

OUTCOME informaton from:

Results of "therapy"

1,591 men ages 55 to 74 were treated for localized prostate cancer were
followed for two years.  Here is some of what was learned:

Those receiving radical prostatectomy (1,156) reported more urinary
incontinence (9.6 percent vs. 3.5 percent), and were more bothered by
incontinence (11.2 percent vs. 2.3 percent) than men receiving radiotherapy
(435).

More men treated with prostatectomy also reported being impotent (79.6
percent vs. 62.5 percent), and among men ages 55 to 59 years, the
prostatectomy patients were more bothered by their loss of sexual function
than were the radiotherapy patients (59.4 percent vs. 25.3 percent).

Two years after treatment, men receiving radiotherapy reported more
diarrhea (37.2 percent vs. 20.9 percent) and bowel urgency (35.7 percent vs.
14.5 percent) than did men receiving radical prostatectomy. In general,
prostatectomy had very little effect on bowel function while radiotherapy
patients experienced a decline in bowel function within the first four
months of receiving treatment and recovered some function over the two
years.

Three factors were found to be the best predictors of the spread of the
disease outside the prostate: PSA levels, Gleason score, and age.

At 18 months or more after surgery, at least 8.4 percent of the
patients were incontinent (lost urinary control) and at least 59.9 percent
were impotent (unable to achieve an erection sufficient for sexual
intercourse). At 24 months, 8.7 percent of men were bothered by the lack of
urinary control; 41.9 percent reported that sexual function was a moderate-
to-big problem.

The end result... bone cancer and pain:

The most common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma, which develops in new
tissue in growing bones. Another type of cancer, chondrosarcoma, arises in
cartilage.

What are the symptoms of bone cancer?

Pain is the most common symptom of bone cancer. However, symptoms may vary
depending on the location and size of the cancer. Tumors that occur in or
near joints may cause swelling or tenderness in the affected area. Bone
cancer can also interfere with normal movements and can weaken the bones,
occasionally leading to a fracture. Other symptoms may include fatigue,
fever, weight loss, and anemia. None of these symptoms is a sure sign of
cancer. They may also be caused by other, less serious conditions. It is
important to check with a doctor.