Men's Health: Prostate Cancer

What is Prostate Cancer?

There are many different types of cancer. In fact, cancer is really a group of diseases that affects different cells in the body. Prostate cancer is a disease that affects the cells of the prostate.

Normally, cells grow and divide in an orderly way. This is how the body grows and stays healthy. Sometimes this normal process of cell growth can go wrong. If abnormal cells continue to divide when they're not supposed to, they can form a tumor. Cancerous prostate tumors can, if untreated, spread to other parts of the body.

If symptoms occur, they may include difficulty starting urination, reduced force of stream of urine, urinating small amounts frequently, urinating more frequently during the night, painful urination and bone pain. Often there are no symptoms, which is why screening is so important.

The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. It is about the same size and shape as a walnut and weighs only about an ounce. The prostate is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate surrounds a tube called the urethra that carries urine from the bladder out through the penis. The main function of the prostate is to produce fluid for semen.

Who is at risk of prostate cancer?

1)African-American men have 60 percent higher risk of getting prostate cancer than white men and have twice the risk of dying from it.

2)Men with one close relative having prostate cancer are twice as likely to get prostate cancer. If they have three close relatives, they are almost guaranteed to get it.

3)Veterans of Asian Theaters (Vietnam and Korea) who were exposed to Agent Orange are at increased risk. At least one study suggests that these men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer.

4)Obese men – those with a body mass index of over 32.5 - are 33 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer if diagnosed.

5) Regardless of PSA score, men whose PSA rises by 0.75 over the course of one year may have more aggressive disease.

10 Things You Want to Know About Prostate Cancer
(Health-e Headlines™)

1. One in every six men will get prostate cancer sometime in his life.

2. The chances of getting prostate cancer are one in three if you have just one close relative (father, brother) with the disease. The risk is fivefold with two close relatives. With three, it's an almost certainty (97 percent) that you'll get prostate cancer.

3. African-American men are at special risk for the disease. They have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world. In fact, the incidence rate in African Americans is 60 percent higher than in white males and double the death rate.

4. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of male cancer death in the USA. An American man dies every 18 minutes from the disease.

5. An estimated 28,900 men will die from prostate cancer this year.

6. More than 220,000 cases are expected this year - more than breast cancer.

7. In the single decade of the 1990s, prostate cancer killed about 350,000 men, slightly more than the entire population of Cincinnati, Ohio.

8. Before the advent of early detection through PSA screening (a simple blood test), about three-fourths of all prostate cancer cases were found in the late stages where the disease isn't readily treatable or curable. Since widespread use of screening, about three-fourths of all cases are now found early - giving men a fighting chance.

9. Every man over 50 - younger if African American or with a family history of the disease - should resolve to be screened annually for prostate cancer.

10. Screening for prostate cancer takes less than 10 minutes.

For More Information on Prostate Cancer:
1. The National Prostate Cancer Coalition. Available online at: www.pcacoalition.org. Accessed September 2, 2004.
© 2003 - 2004 Wellsource, Inc.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis of specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt professional medical attention if you have a particular concern about your health or specific symptoms.