Prostate Cancer

Overview

More men with prostate cancer — several thousand each year — seek care at Mayo Clinic than at any other medical center in the world. Mayo Clinic prostate cancer specialists are experienced in every stage and form of the disease. An expert team of urologists and oncologists work together with each patient to determine the most appropriate treatment for his needs.

Treatment

Mayo Clinic physicians guide each patient through several prostate cancer treatment choices. For example, your physician will determine whether surgery is required and counsel you on the type of surgery you might pursue. Your doctor will also advise you on whether or not to seek radiation therapy. If you are older than age 70, you may opt for expectant management (also called watchful waiting) if your prostate cancer is growing slowly.

Mayo Clinic has a unique resource to help patients and physicians choose the most appropriate treatment. Since 1966, Mayo Clinic has compiled detailed records regarding patients who have undergone surgery for prostate cancer. The resulting database tracks the treatments provided and their outcomes over time.

The database, believed to be the largest of its kind, now includes records from more than 20,000 patients. It's an invaluable tool for doctors to help determine the most effective treatments to cure cancer, minimize side effects, and reduce the risk of recurrence.

One finding: The 10-year mark cancer-specific survival rate for Mayo Clinic patients is more than 90 percent.

Research

Many Mayo oncologists are part of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, an exceptional research organization that performs fundamental research into the causes of prostate cancer and best patient care. The National Cancer Institute has designated the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center a comprehensive cancer center, in part because of its depth and breadth of resources devoted to prostate cancer.

Read more about prostate cancer.