Preface

For an accessory sex gland that is normally the size of a walnut, the prostate commands much attention, both in the scientific literature and in the lay press. Anatomic parallels to the human prostate are few in mammals—dogs have a prostate that is related to the urinary bladder much as in humans, but the prostate in other mammals such as rats and nonhuman primates is very different. Both benign and malignant diseases of the prostate have few correlates in nonhuman mammals except dogs, and it remains unclear why cats, rodents, horses, and bulls, which arguably share the same environment as humans, are spared abnormal growth of the prostate. The precise function of the different accessory sex glands, such as the seminal vesicles, Cowper's gland, and the prostate—beyond contributing to the seminal ejaculate—remains unclear.

The above notwithstanding, the past decade has seen many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of prostatic diseases. Efforts remain directed at early noninvasive diagnosis and therapy that causes durable relief from the disease without a trade for unacceptable complications. I am grateful to the eminent contributors to this issue of Radiologic Clinics of North America who graciously expended much effort to clarify some of the most important issues relevant to the management of men with prostatic diseases. It is our hope that the readers of this issue will turn to it frequently as a valuable resource.