Prostate Cancer
Introduction
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer found in men in the USA. About 218,890 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2007. For a few decades, prostate cancer had been the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related death in men with nearly 30,000 deaths per year. However, prostate cancer related mortality is decreasing over the last 5 years and it is estimated that prostate cancer is now the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men.
The prostate is a gland (found only in men) below the urinary bladder. A normal prostate is about the size of a walnut. As a man ages, his prostate slowly grows because of the hormone testosterone. This is called prostate hyperplasia and is not cancer. Prostate cancer occurs when prostate cells change and begin to grow out of control.
Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland. Untreated, it can spread to other parts of the body. The good news is that a prostate exam can often detect prostate cancer before it spreads. For this reason, prostate exams are extremely important for men who are considered to be at risk for prostate cancer.
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