What Is Cancer?
The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow, divide, and produce more cells as needed to keep the body healthy. Sometimes, however, the process goes wrong -- cells become abnormal and form more cells in an uncontrolled way. These extra cells form a mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor. Tumors can be benign, which means not cancerous, or malignant, which means cancerous.

What is Prostate Cancer?
The prostate is a male sex gland, about the size of a large walnut. It is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate's main function is to make fluid for semen, a white substance that carries sperm.

Prostate cancer occurs when a malignant tumor forms in the tissue of the prostate. In its early stage, prostate cancer needs the male hormone testosterone to grow and survive.

What Causes Prostate Cancer?
Scientists don't know exactly what causes prostate cancer. They cannot explain why one man gets prostate cancer and another does not. However, they have been able to identify some risk factors that are associated with the disease. A risk factor is anything that increases your chances of getting a disease.

How Common is Prostate Cancer Among Men?
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among American men. It is a slow-growing disease that mostly affects older men. In fact, more than 75 percent of all prostate cancers are found in men over the age of 65. The disease rarely occurs in men younger than 40 years of age.  The average age at time of diagnosis is 70.

All men are at some risk of prostate cancer but age, race, nationality, and family history can increase the risk of prostate cancer. In addition, there is some indication that diet and lack of physical activity may also increase the risk.

You are at greater risk of prostate cancer if:

You are 50 or older.

You are an African-American. Prostate cancer occurs nearly 70% more often in African-American men than it does in white men.

You live in North America, where the disease is more common than in Asia, Africa, Central America, and South America.

Your father or brother(s) (or both) had or have prostate cancer. If so, your risk of developing prostate cancer is doubled.

If a Doctor Thinks There Might Be Prostate Cancer, What Happens Next?
The doctor may order other exams, including ultrasound and x-rays, to learn more about the cause of the symptoms. But to confirm the presence of cancer, doctors must perform a biopsy. During a biopsy, the doctor uses needles to remove small tissue samples from the prostate and then looks at the samples under a microscope.

If a biopsy shows that cancer is present, the doctor will report on the grade of the tumor. Doctors describe a tumor as low, medium, or high-grade cancer, based on the way it appears under the microscope.

How is Radiation Used to Treat Prostate Cancer?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Doctors may recommend it instead of surgery or after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that may remain in the area. In advanced stages, the doctor may recommend it to relieve pain or other symptoms. Radiation can cause problems with impotence and bowel function.

The radiation may come from a machine, which is external radiation, or from tiny radioactive seeds placed inside or near the tumor, which is internal radiation. Men who receive only the radioactive seeds usually have small tumors. Some men receive both kinds of radiation therapy.

For external radiation therapy, patients go to the hospital or clinic -- usually 5 days a week for several weeks. Internal radiation may require patients to stay in the hospital for a short time.

Can a Man Survive Prostate Cancer?
Yes. Today, more men are surviving prostate cancer than ever before. In fact, the number of deaths from prostate cancer has been declining since the early 1990s. If found early, the disease can very likely be cured.

 

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