Prostate Cancer
What is it?
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in the male prostate gland. This small, chestnut-shaped gland surrounds the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the opening in the penis) where it emerges from the bladder. The prostate produces a fluid that nourishes sperm and is ejaculated during orgasm.
It is normal for the prostate
gland to enlarge with age, but sometimes the cells that make up the gland
grow in an uncontrolled way giving rise to prostate cancer.
Who gets it?
Prostate cancer usually develops in men over age 55, but can occur in younger men. It is particularly common in African-American men.
Since it often grows slowly, some older men with prostate cancer may die from other causes. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in American men (after lung cancer).
What causes it?
The cause of prostate cancer is not known. While
age is the only
proven risk factor, heredity may also be a factor. Researchers are studying links to high fat diets and workplace exposure in the rubber, metal plating, and welding industries. Also being studied are the effects of having had a vasectomy, cadmium intake, male hormones, and cigarette smoking.
What are the symptoms?
Prostate cancer often has no symptoms, especially in the early stages. When there are symptoms, they can be like those caused by BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy). BPH is a growth of the prostate that is not caused by
cancer and normally occurs as men get older. Noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer depend on the size of the tumor and how far the cancer has spread. Possible symptoms include frequent and urgent need to urinate, need to get up at night to urinate, slow-starting urine stream, dribbling after urination, feeling of incomplete emptying, decreased force and size of urine stream, blood or pus in the urine or semen, painful or burning urination, inability to urinate, painful ejaculation, and pain in the lower back, hips, and thighs.
Diagnosis
Because prostate cancer often causes no symptoms, it is usually found as part of a routine checkup or during an exam for some other problem. A procedure called transrectal ultrasound uses a fiberoptic probe inserted in the rectum to produce an image of the prostate. A blood test called the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test may also be used. However, like many cancer screening tools, it is not perfect and can give misleading results. For this reason, doctors do not always agree about when PSA tests should be done.
When a rectal exam or PSA result is abnormal, your health care provider may order a biopsy. A sample of the abnormal area in your prostate is removed and examined under a microscope. If the biopsy is normal, your provider will tell you how often you should have an exam and PSA testing based on your age, family history, and other factors. If you have cancer, your provider may do imaging tests, such as x-rays and bone scans, to find out how far the cancer has spread and help decide how to treat it.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the size of the tumor, whether it has spread to other parts of your body, and your overall health. Some of the treatments are surgery to remove the prostate, radiation therapy, treatments to eliminate the stimulating effect of testosterone (male hormone) on the prostate cancer, and anticancer drugs (chemotherapy). After treatment, your provider will recommend regular checkups to see how your body has responded to treatment and to look for any return of cancer.
Drugs that block the male hormone testosterone are the best
initial treatments. Chemotherapy can help some patients with advanced
disease. Many new clinical trials are available using chemotherapy and
immunotherapy for selected patients. Surgical treatment is helpful for
disease localized to the prostate. Radiation therapy can also be used for
local treatment.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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