Basic Facts About Prostate Cancer

It is estimated that 234,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. That makes prostate cancer the most common cancer among American men, except for skin cancer. More than 27,000 deaths due to prostate cancer are expected to occur this year.

The good news is that the outlook for men diagnosed with prostate cancer is better than ever. More than half of all prostate cancers are found early, while the tumor is still localized, and the five-year survival rate for these men is 99 percent.

What is the prostate gland, and what does it do?
The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut that is situated below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The urethra (a long tube that carries urine out of the body) passes through the prostate.

The prostate gland produces a fluid that serves as the vehicle for sperm. Although there will be implications if the prostate gland is removed, it is not an essential organ and the body can function without it.

Are all prostate tumors cancerous?
Many men, especially as they age, are affected by an overgrowth of prostate tissue. At times, this tissue overgrowth is benign, meaning that the cells do not contain cancer. This prostate condition is called benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH. Other times, abnormal cancerous cells characterize the overgrowth of tissue, and this is referred to as a malignancy or cancer of the prostate.