EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PROSTATE-CANCER

Prostate cancer is currently one of the most common malignancies world wide. The incidence of prostate cancer has risen dramatically over the last decade, more so than can be explained by increasing longevity. M ortality rates have also risen, though not as dramatically. There is a wide geographic variation in the incidence of clinical prostate cance r, with higher rates in the United States than in China. One risk fact or which could explain this variation is the high fat intake associate d with a Western diet. It is also apparent that prostate cancer is now being detected at less advanced stages than in the past. Increased aw areness of the disease and improved detection methods are thought to c ontribute to this earlier detection.