Mount Elizabeth Hospitals
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Explore Maternity
    • Hospital Admissions
    • International Patients Guide
    • Hospital Wards & Rooms
    • Hospital Facilities
    • Hospital Billing & Payment
    • Visitor Information
      • Patient Services
      • Find a Doctor
      • Make or Manage Appointment
  • Conditions & Treatments
    • Health A-Z
    • Conditions & Diseases
    • Tests & Treatments
    • Specialties
      • Featured Care Areas
      • Transplant
      • Cancer Care
      • Brain & Spine Care
      • Heart Health
      • Bone Health
  • Centres & Services
    • Ambulance & Medical Transport
    • Health Screening
    • Laboratory Services
    • Mount Elizabeth Fertility Centre
    • Mount Elizabeth Genomic Health Centre
    • Mount Elizabeth Proton Therapy Centre
    • Nutrition & Dietetics
    • Parkway Cancer Centre
    • Radiology & Imaging
    • Rehabilitation Services
    • Urgent Care Centre
  • Health Plus
    • Browse Topics From A-Z
    • About Health Plus
  • Why Choose Us
    • Mount Elizabeth Hospital
    • Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital
    • Our Awards, Accreditations & Milestones
    • Words of Appreciation
    • It's Possible
English Bahasa Indonesia 中文 Tiếng Việt
The page you are looking for was moved, removed, renamed or might not have existed.
Find a Doctor Find a Doctor Make an Appointment Make an Appointment
    • WhatsApp Novena
    • WhatsApp Orchard
    • Call Novena
    • Call Orchard
×
Mount Elizabeth Hospitals
Menu
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Explore Maternity

    • Hospital Admissions

    • International Patients Guide

    • Hospital Wards & Rooms

    • Hospital Facilities

    • Hospital Billing & Payment

    • Visitor Information

      • Patient Services
      • Find a Doctor

      • Make or Manage Appointment

  • Conditions & Treatments
    • Health A-Z

    • Conditions & Diseases

    • Tests & Treatments

    • Specialties

      • Featured Care Areas
      • Transplant

      • Cancer Care

      • Brain & Spine Care

      • Heart Health

      • Bone Health

  • Centres & Services
    • Ambulance & Medical Transport

    • Health Screening

    • Laboratory Services

    • Mount Elizabeth Fertility Centre

    • Mount Elizabeth Genomic Health Centre

    • Mount Elizabeth Proton Therapy Centre

    • Nutrition & Dietetics

    • Parkway Cancer Centre

    • Radiology & Imaging

    • Rehabilitation Services

    • Urgent Care Centre

  • Health Plus
    • Browse Topics From A-Z

    • About Health Plus

  • Why Choose Us
    • Mount Elizabeth Hospital

    • Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital

    • Our Awards, Accreditations & Milestones

    • Words of Appreciation

    • It's Possible

  • Find a Doctor
    Make or Manage an Appointment
    • Our Locations Our Locations
    • Contact Us Contact Us
  • Novena
    • WhatsApp
    • Call
    Orchard
    • WhatsApp
    • Call
  1. Mount Elizabeth Hospitals: It's Possible
  2. Health Plus
Can Prostate Cancer Be Cured?

Source: Shutterstock

Can Prostate Cancer Be Cured?

Last updated: Monday, August 28, 2017 | 6 min reading time
Dr Tan Yau Min Gerald
Dr Tan Yau Min Gerald

Urologist

Prostate cancer is widespread but can be kept at bay through early screening and treatment.

Prostate cancer has been on the rise, particularly in most parts of the Western world. According to Dr Gerald Tan, urologist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, "Prostate cancer surpasses the prevalence of other male cancers in America, Europe and Australia, and ranks 3rd in Singapore."

Dr Tan adds, "It is widely believed that prostate cancer is a disease of affluence." This is because a Western diet plays a big role in triggering the disease due to excessive red meat, dairy products and gluten (a protein in cereal grains), which are food staples in the West. Dr Tan notes that in Japan and South Korea, where people consume less of these foods, the incidence of prostate cancer is much lower.

Nonetheless, Dr Tan stresses that eating habits are not the sole risk factor for prostate cancer. "The other big risk factor is a family history of prostate cancer." The National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the US has reported that 5 – 10% of prostate cancer cases stem from inherited genes.

How to screen for prostate cancer

In recent years, blood tests have been used to screen patients without symptoms. These tests measure the amount of prostate-specific antigens (PSA), which is a protein produced by the prostate gland, in the bloodstream.

"The PSA test is now universally used as a marker to predict the likelihood of prostate cancer," says Dr Tan. The higher the PSA level is, the greater the risk of prostate cancer. A PSA quantity exceeding 10 ng/mL of blood is associated with a 50% chance of prostate cancer. However, Dr Tan cautions that "the test cannot confirm whether you have prostate cancer."

If a high level of PSA is detected in your bloodstream, further examinations may be required, such as a transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy – where a needle is inserted into the rectum to extract a tissue sample from the prostate gland.

Treatment: from surveillance to surgery

If patients are found to have prostate cancer, Dr Tan emphasises that they should be aware that prostate cancer is a very curable disease.

For instance, early-stage patients usually do not require treatment but simply have to engage in active surveillance. "For these patients, the risk of the cancer spreading outside the prostate is very low," says Dr Tan. "They just need to do the PSA test once every few months and a biopsy every year to make sure the cancer is not becoming more malignant. The earlier we find the cancer (spreading), the more nerves we are able to preserve."

With active surveillance, many patients with low-risk prostate cancer can enjoy a normal life for many years before undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Once prostate cancer reaches a stage requiring treatment, surgery is often the most effective approach. "Surgery alone or in combination with radiation or hormone therapy is the bedrock of treatment for prostate cancer because it offers the best survival rates in the long term," says Dr Tan.

Robotic-assisted surgery, or robotic surgery, is often the treatment of choice since it outperforms both minimally invasive surgery and open surgery in terms of blood loss, transfusion rate and degree of pain. This is because "robotic instruments are superior at visualising the fine tissues surrounding the prostate and can twist or turn in all sorts of ways," notes Dr Tan.

As a result, surgeons are able to precisely target the affected area and minimise damage to the surrounding nerves that are responsible for urine control and erectile function. Patients can thus recover faster from urinary incontinence (involuntary leakage of urine) and erectile dysfunction, which are common side effects of conventional prostate surgery.

Article Tags

Cancer care & prevention Men's health
Related Articles
View all
Take Charge, Take Action

Take Charge, Take Action: Conduct Your Own Breast Examination

A monthly breast self-examination 7 – 10 days after your period starts can save your life.

Know a Woman Above 40? Encourage Them to Take This Positive Step

Know a Woman Above 40? Encourage Them to Take This Positive Step

More women are being claimed by breast cancer now than before. Love them by encouraging them to go for breast screening.

Simple, Radical, Nipple Sparing? Making Sense of Mastectomy (Breast Removal) Surgery

Simple, Radical, Nipple Sparing? Making Sense of Mastectomy (Breast Removal) Surgery

Dr Tan Yah Yuen, general surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospitals, answers the questions you may have about mastectomies.

Surviving Breast Cancer

Surviving Breast Cancer: Should I Save My Breast?

Dr Wee Siew Bock, breast surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, address your questions and concerns about breast conserving surgery (lumpectomy).

The Bare Truth of Pancreatic Cancer

The Bare Truth of Pancreatic Cancer

Dr Tan Yu-Meng, general surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospitals, gives us the stark facts about pancreatic cancer and the treatment options available for patients.

Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer: A Disease on the Rise

Ovarian cancer has been dubbed a silent killer as it often presents at a late stage, resulting in low survival rates. Dr Elisa Koh explains the current statistics and treatment methods for ovarian cancer.

Jump To

Mount Elizabeth Hospitals are part of IHH Healthcare, one of the world’s largest integrated healthcare networks.


MyHealth360

Download the MyHealth360 app to access an array of medical services conveniently.

Google Play
App Store
  • Our Locations
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • Events
Sign up for the latest health tips and articles!

Get trusted medical advice from our specialists, dietitians and physiotherapists directly in your inbox.

Subscribe

     

Copyright © 2025 Parkway Holdings Limited. All rights reserved. Company Registration no. 197400320R

  • Terms of Use
  • Data Protection Notice
  • Sustainability
  • Sitemap