- Some prostate cancers are slow-growing while rarer types are more aggressive.
- Early symptoms of prostate cancer include frequent urination, difficulty urinating, and discomfort while sitting down.
- Advanced symptoms include unexplained weight loss, fatigue, unusual bowel habits, and pain in the back, thighs, or hips.
- Doctors often use PSA testing as a diagnostic tool to determine whether a patient has prostate cancer and for early screening in older men.
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer only found in men. As such, it is the second most deadly form of cancer for men in the United States. The overall risk of developing prostate cancer is roughly one in nine. This means that approximately 191,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year alone.
Some prostate cancers are slow-growing, limited to the prostate, and do not require immediate treatment. However, rarer cancers are more aggressive. As with all forms of cancer, the key to successfully managing and treating prostate cancer is to catch the disease as early as possible.
What Is Prostate Cancer?
All forms of cancer behave similarly when they first develop, irrespective of where in the body cancerous tissue arises. Cancer occurs when cells in organs or tissues become damaged and start to reproduce at an unhealthy rate. This will eventually lead to the formation of tumors, which could spread to other areas of the body.
Prostate cancer begins in a small gland situated between the bladder and rectum that is primarily responsible for producing seminal fluid. Prostate cancer is categorized according to which cells in the prostate are affected, how advanced the cancer is, and whether it had spread to other organs and tissues. Fortunately, 90 percent of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed before they have spread beyond the prostate.