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Prostate Cancer
Things to know
Symptoms
Risk factors
Can prostate cancer be prevented?
Prostate cancer means that cancer cells form in the tissues of the
prostate. It is the most common cancer in American men after
skin cancer.
Prostate cancer tends to grow slowly compared with most other
cancers. Cell changes may begin 10, 20, or 30 years before a
tumor gets big enough to cause symptoms. Eventually, cancer
cells may spread
(metastasize)
throughout the body. By the time
symptoms appear, the cancer may be more advanced.
By age 50, very few men have symptoms of prostate cancer, yet
some
precancerous
or cancerous cells are present. More than
half of all American men have some cancer in their prostate glands
by the age of 80.
Most of these cancers never pose a problem. They either give no
signs or symptoms or never become a serious threat to health.
A much smaller percentage of men are actually treated for prostate
cancer. Most men with prostate cancer do not die from this disease.
- About 16 percent of American men are diagnosed with
prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
- Eight percent have serious symptoms.
- Three percent die of the disease.
"When I first learned I might have a prostate
problem, I was afraid it was cancer."
Prostate cancer can sit quietly for years. That means most men
with the disease have no obvious symptoms. When symptoms
finally appear, they may be a lot like the symptoms of BPH.
| Prostate Cancer Symptoms |
- Trouble passing urine
- Frequent urge to pass urine, especially at night
- Weak or interrupted urine stream
- Pain or burning when passing urine
- Blood in the urine or semen
- Painful ejaculation
- Nagging pain in the back, hips, or pelvis
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Prostate cancer can spread to the
lymph nodes
of the pelvis.
Or it may spread throughout the body. It tends to spread to the
bones. So bone pain, especially in the back, can be another
symptom.
There are some risk factors linked to prostate cancer. A risk factor
is something that can raise your chances of having a problem or
disease. Having one or more risk factors doesn't mean that you
will get prostate cancer. It just means that your risk of disease is
greater.
- Age. Being 50 or older increases risk of prostate cancer.
- Race. African-American men are at highest risk of prostate
cancer--it tends to start at younger ages and grows faster than
in men of other races. After African-American men, it is most
common among white men, followed by Hispanic and Native
American men. Asian-American men have the lowest rates of
prostate cancer. Aside from race, all men can have other
prostate cancer risk factors (aging, family history, and diet).
See the
For More Information section to request the booklet
about African-American men and prostate cancer screening.
- Family history. Prostate cancer risk is 2 to 3 times higher for
men whose fathers or brothers have had the disease. For
example, risk is about 10 times higher for a man who has 3
immediate family members with prostate cancer. The younger
a man is when he has prostate cancer, the greater the risk for
his male family members. Prostate cancer risk also appears to
be slightly higher for men whose mothers or sisters have had
breast cancer.
- Diet. The risk of prostate cancer seems to be higher for men
eating high-fat diets with few fruits and vegetables.
National research studies are looking at how prostate cancer can be
prevented. There is some proof that the drug finasteride lowers
your risk of getting prostate cancer, but whether it decreases the
risk of dying of prostate cancer is still unclear.
To find out more, see the
For More Information section.
| Prostate Cancer Screening |
Screening means testing for cancer before you have any
symptoms. A screening test can often help find cancer at an
early stage. When found early, cancer is less likely to have
spread and may be easier to treat. By the time symptoms
appear, the cancer may have started to spread. Remember,
even if your doctor suggests prostate cancer screening, this
doesn't necessarily mean that you have cancer.
Screening tests are most useful when they have been proven to
find cancer early and lower a person's chance of dying from
cancer. For prostate cancer, doctors don't yet know these
answers and more research is being done.
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Large research studies, with thousands of men, are going on
now to study prostate cancer screening. The National
Cancer Institute is studying the combination of PSA testing
and DRE as a way to get more accurate results.
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Some cancers never cause symptoms or become lifethreatening.
If they are found by a screening test, the
cancer may then be treated. For prostate cancer in its early
stages, it isn't known whether treatment would help you live
longer than if no treatment were given when a screening
test detects prostate cancer.
Talk with your doctor about your risk of prostate
cancer and your need for screening tests.
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