PROSTRATE CANCER

 Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer cells, and can then spread to other areas of the body. To learn more about cancer and how it starts and spreads, see What Is Cancer?

Prostate cancer is a common type of cancer in men. The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland in males that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. 

While some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or even no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly. Detecting prostate cancer early on, when it's still confined to the prostate gland, has a better chance of successful treatment.

**Symptoms**

In the early stages, prostate cancer may cause no signs or symptoms. More advanced prostate cancer might cause:

- Trouble uricating, including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often, especially at night

- Blood in semen

- Discomfort in the pelvic area

- Bone pain

- Erectile dysfunction

The exact cause of prostate cancer is clear but several risk factors are identified, such as age (risk increases with age), race (for reasons not yet determined, black men carry a greater risk of prostate cancer than do men of other races), family history, and obesity.

**Diagnosis and Treatment**

Various tests, including a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, digital rectal exam (DRE), and ultrasound-guided biopsy, can be performed to diagnose prostate cancer. If diagnosed, the staging of the cancer is important to guide treatment options.

Treatments for prostate cancer might include:

- Active surveillance for slow-growing cancers

- Surgery to remove the prostate gland

- Radiation therapy

Prostate cancer begins when cells in the prostate gland start to grow out of control. The prostate is a gland found only in males. It makes some of the fluid that is part of semen.

The prostate is below the bladder (the hollow organ where urine is stored) and in front of the rectum (the last part of the intestines). Just behind the prostate are glands called seminal vesicles that make most of the fluid for semen. The urethra, which is the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body through the penis, goes through the center of the prostate.

The size of the prostate can change as a man ages. In younger men, it is about the size of a walnut, but it can be much larger in older men.

Types of prostate cancer

Almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. These cancers develop from the gland cells (the cells that make the prostate fluid that is added to the semen).

Other types of cancer that can start in the prostate include:

• Small cell carcinomas
• Neuroendocrine tumors (other than small cell carcinomas)
• Transitional cell carcinomas
• Sarcomas

These other types of prostate cancer are rare. If you are told you have prostate cancer, it is almost certain to be an adenocarcinoma.

Some prostate cancers grow and spread quickly, but most grow slowly. In fact, autopsy studies show that many older men (and even some younger men) who died of other causes also had prostate cancer that never affected them during their lives. In many cases, neither they nor their doctors even knew they had it.