• Question: How far are scientist into researching PROSTATE CANCER?

    Asked by trentturrell123 to Matt, Andrea, Amar, Ana, Leah on 11 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by mariam236.
    • Photo: Anastasia Wass

      Anastasia Wass answered on 11 Mar 2014:

      There’s lots of research going into protsate cancer.
      I don’t think there’s currently a national screening programme but tests have been developed that can help screen people with a high risk of developing the disease.

    • Photo: Andrea Hanvey

      Andrea Hanvey answered on 11 Mar 2014:

      prostate cancer is really interesting, when i was training during my degree one of the trainee doctors i worked with, was also completing a PhD studying how prostate cells metastasise. There is alot of research on prostate in various fields. One that will be affecting my work in the NHS is how biopsies are taken. The prostate is usually the size of a walnut. If it contains a tumour it can be the size of your fist. New biopsy techniques are currently being researched and phased in to sample more of the prostate so that radiotherapy can be precisely targeted at the tumour and miss other tissues.

    • Photo: Matthew Lam

      Matthew Lam answered on 12 Mar 2014:

      Scientists did create a test called PSA which is supposed to be able to tell if you have prostate cancer by checking for things in your blood but it turns out that the test isn’t that reliable so isn’t used too much in hospitals. Treatments for prostate cancer have come a long way and if it’s found early enough than the it is curable.

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