Preface

Prostate cancer has become one of the world’s greatest healthcare challenges. Ageing populations mean the number of men diagnosed with this disease increases year on year. This has implications not only to the patient and their loved ones, but also clinical services, healthcare budget holders and to wider society. Despite being one of the most common cancer in Western men, its natural history, prognosis, and treatment are poorly understood. This book brings together a select faculty of experts to present a comprehensive view of the current state and future perspectives of prostate cancer. There are ten chapters in the book—the first four cover our present knowledge and understanding of the disease, the following three explore new advancements and treatments, particularly looking at overcoming resistance to therapy, and the remaining three chapters focus on specific molecules with the potential to become drug targets. Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive review of the global trends in epidemiology, geographical variations, and incidence and mortality of prostate cancer. With numerous modifiable and unmodifiable risk factors, the etiology of prostate cancer is comprehensively covered. Chapter 2 summarizes the current knowledge on the various etiological factors of prostate cancer. Our understanding of the mechanisms that cause the disease requires further expansion if we are to advance our ability to diagnose aggressive tumors and develop more effective therapies. CONTINUE READING.....