This year, 230,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States, and 30,000 are expected to die from the disease, the Foundation points out. Today, about two million men are battling prostate cancer, and over the next decade, about three million more will be compelled to join the war.

"It is imperative that continued advances be made in the scientific understanding and optimal treatment of prostate cancer," report Executive Editor, Peter Carroll, M.D., Chair of the Department of Urology at the University of California, San Francisco, commented.

"Despite the high profile and high prevalence of the disease, there remains considerable controversy surrounding the benefits and risks of early detection," Carroll said, "and there continues to be a lack of consensus for the management of many stages of the disease.

"The Report to the Nation on Prostate Cancer identifies the areas of consensus and frames the debates regarding the treatment of prostate cancer. Most importantly," Carroll noted, "it helps to establish an agenda for research that must be undertaken to advance the field."

Authored by 24 leading prostate cancer physician-scientists, the PCF's report offers a comprehensive review of the state of the art in prostate cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research.

One key aim of the report is to present and summarize current and emerging information on treatment strategies for every stage of the disease -- establishing a common framework for a dialogue among the various specialists treating patients with prostate cancer.

An underlying theme of the Report is the need for multidisciplinary collaboration among urologists, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists at all stages of the disease to optimize therapy and to expedite the development of new therapies.