DEAR DR. DONOHUE: It is commonly claimed that many die with prostate cancer but few die of prostate cancer. That has been comforting to me for many years, but now there has been a high-profile death from prostate cancer – the actor Jerry Orbach.

Could you print a few reassuring words on the subject, please? – F.O.

ANSWER: That statement is correct, but it can’t be taken too cavalierly, or many men will be lulled into a grave misunderstanding about prostate cancer.

Close to 70 percent of men in their 70s have small islands of cancer in their prostate glands. These men are at an age when other serious health problems emerge, and those illnesses often lead to death before prostate cancer has a chance to grow, spread and kill. In 2004, more than 230,000 North American men learned they had prostate cancer. In that same year, about 30,000 died from it – a sizeable number of deaths. Prostate cancer can kill.

The growth and spread of prostate cancer depend on many factors. Younger men have cancers that tend to be more aggressive. If an older man has a cancer that is limited to the gland and if that cancer is a “low-grade” cancer, that man can expect to live for 10 to 15 years with it. “Low-grade” is a judgment made according to the microscopic appearance of the cancer cells. Low-grade cancers grow slowly. If a man has a high-grade cancer, then growth and spread are much more rapid. Generalities about prostate cancer have to be modified by the special characteristics of an individual’s cancer.

The booklet on the prostate gland provides information on gland enlargement and cancer of the gland. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 1001, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I would like to know if you have any information on Addison’s disease. – M.R.

ANSWER: The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys. The two glands produce an array of hormones necessary for life. Cortisone is involved in controlling inflammation; adrenaline gears the body to react to stress; other hormones regulate the level of sodium, potassium and chloride and normalize blood pressure. The glands also participate in the production of male hormones.

Addison’s disease is a failure of these glands to function. Formerly, infections were the largest cause of adrenal-gland failure. Today, a suicidal immune attack accounts for most cases of Addison’s.

The result is profound fatigue and weakness. Patients lose their appetite. Muscle and fat melt away. Blood pressure drops and stays low. Often the elbows and creases on the palms of the hands turn brown. Unless treated, Addison’s disease kills.

Effective treatment is available – restore the missing hormones in medicine form.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My problem is double vision. I have had thyroid tests, CT scans and an MRI and was checked for myasthenia. Can you help? – S.K.

ANSWER: If you cover one eye and see two images, the three major causes are a sudden decrease in vision, a cataract or keratoconus, a condition where the cornea forms a bulge.

If double vision is present with both eyes open, then the problem arises from the eye muscles that align the eyes, from the nerves that serve those eye muscles, or from something in the eye’s bony socket that’s compressing one eye.

You have had the standard tests for discovering those problems. You might have a condition where there is a minor flaw in the delivery of blood to one of the eye-muscle nerves. The condition can sometimes be a temporary thing.

I don’t have a satisfactory explanation for you, but I am sure doctor readers will come to our aid.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.