Prostate Cancer

Cancer is commonly defined as the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells. When cells become aged or damaged, they are replaced with new cells. Sometimes the genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or altered, producing mutations that negatively affect cell growth and division. Prostate cancer may be slow growing, or it may be aggressive. When confined within the prostate or another organ, cancer is known to be “localized” or “organ-confined”. When cancer cells spread throughout the body (metastasize) via blood and lymph systems, they can become life threatening.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading forms of cancer diagnosed in North American men, typically in men over the age of 50. In its early stages, prostate cancer has no symptoms, which is why it’s important for men to have regular medical checkups. If diagnosed early, prostate cancer is often curable. Treatment can eliminate symptoms and prolong life expectancy.

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Risk Factors

There are several risk factors for prostate cancer, some modifiable, others not. These include:

  • Age – Prostate cancer is most commonly diagnosed in men over the age of 50.
  • Family History – Research shows an increased risk for prostate cancer in sons, brothers and fathers of men with the disease.
  • Genetics – Inherited gene changes may increase prostate cancer risk.
  • Diet – High fat, high calcium and high red meat diets may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
  • Ethnicity – Studies have shown that prostate cancer is more common in men of African ethnicity.

For more information about the prostate, visit the Prostate Cancer Canada website.

PROSPeCT: A Predictive Research Online System for Prostate Cancer Tasks

We are excited to announce the recent online publication of PROSPeCT: A Predictive Research Online System for Prostate Cancer Tasks in the Journal of Clinical Oncology-Clinical Cancer Informatics!

PROSPeCT is a user-friendly online clinical information system that offers an easy and efficient way to obtain relevant and accurate information about patients from APCaRIs robust and expanding database. If you use PROSPeCT already then please cite this article in your work. If you do not use PROSPeCT yet then read this article for more details about easy-to-use and powerful query tool! Thank you to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, plus others, for supporting this project.

Citation
PROSPeCT: A Predictive Research Online System for Prostate Cancer Tasks
Maria Cutumisu, Catalina Vasquez, Maxwell Uhlich, Perrin H. Beatty, Homeira Hamayeli-Mehrabani, Rume Djebah, Albert Murtha, Russell Greiner, and John D. Lewis
JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics 2019 :3, 1-12 DOI: 10.1200/CCI.18.00144

2019.05 Cutumisu et al PROSPeCT JCO CCI

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