A significant amount of research has been devoted to the detection, treatment and prevention of prostate cancer. During the past decade, survival rates for the disease have significantly improved due to advances in these areas. Ongoing research for prostate cancer includes:

• Genetics. Scientists are investigating genetic tests that may help predict which men may be at higher risk for prostate cancer based on the presence of abnormal genes. Genetic research is also focusing on the chemical changes in genes that cause prostate cancer to grow. Researchers are seeking genetic clues about which cancers are most likely to spread, which could provide valuable information for the watchful waiting approach to treatment.
  
  
• Diagnostic testing. Researchers continue to investigate new methods to reliably detect prostate cancer in the early stage. A color Doppler ultrasound is a new type of test that measures blood flow in the prostate. This new ultrasound may improve the reliability of biopsies. Newer forms of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test also may diagnose prostate cancer more accurately. Although the PSA test is useful in detecting prostate cancer, it is less effective in identifying which cases are aggressive enough to require treatment. A new test that detects early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA) may be an effective addition to the standard PSA test. The EPCA-2 test has been shown in studies to identify cancers not shown by standard PSA tests. It may also prove more useful in distinguishing aggressive cancers from those that only need monitoring. EPCA-2 is being further evaluated and shows promise for general use in the future.
  
  
• Surgical treatment. Studies continue to evaluate the timing for surgery in treating prostate cancer. Some studies have indicated that immediate surgery may not be necessary for early stage, low grade prostate cancer. Additional research is necessary in this area. Prostatectomy sometimes affects nerves in the genital area, including those that control erections, resulting in impotence.  Some surgeons are transplanting small nerves taken from the side of the foot to help prevent impotence from a prostatectomy.
  
  
• Drug treatments. Researchers continually study newer chemotherapy or combination of drugs for treatment. They are also developing new hormone therapy drugs to block the production or use of hormones in patients with prostate cancer. The use of hormone treatments in combination with other treatments continues to be studied as well. Drugs to prevent blood vessel growth (anti-angiogenesis) are being evaluated in clinical trials.
  
  
• Vaccines. Another new treatment being tested is a therapeutic vaccine for men with advanced prostate cancer. Therapeutic vaccines use the patient's cells and a protein to encourage the immune system to fight the cancer. The vaccine has shown some results in some men with advanced prostate cancer. For some patients, the vaccine increased survival time, but did not alter the time it took the tumors to return after treatment. Other potential prostate cancer vaccines are also being studied.
  
  
• Newer treatments. Researchers are evaluating a number of other treatments for early stage prostate cancer. One treatment involves destroying cancer cells by heating them with highly focused ultrasound beams. This treatment is not often performed in the United States at this time. In another treatment approach, metal rods are inserted in the prostate and the patient is placed in a magnetic field. When the rods are heated, the cancer cells are destroyed. The studies of this treatment are in the very early stage.