Prostate Cancer

TYPES OF CANCER

Prostate Cancer

Prostate Gland
The prostate gland is a walnut-sized organ that rings the male urethra. The secretions of the prostate and Cowper’s glands add nutrients to semen, the fluid in which sperm is ejaculated from the body. Cancer of the prostate gland is a common type of cancer in men.
Cancer of the prostate gland, a walnut-sized organ surrounding the urethra in males, is the most common cancer in North American males. About 180,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States and 16,900 in Canada are diagnosed every year. For unknown reasons, the prevalence in black men is nearly twice as high as in white men. Prostate cancer risk increases with age, and some evidence suggests that high-fat diets may increase the risk of developing the disease.

Most prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas, cancers that arise in glandular cells of the prostate’s epithelial tissue. Prostate cancers usually progress slowly and produce no symptoms in the initial stages. Eventually, the tumor may enlarge the prostate gland, pressing on the urethra and causing painful or frequent urination and blood in the urine or semen. Sometimes pain in the lower back, pelvis, or upper thighs may signal that prostate cancer cells have spread to the ribs, pelvis, and other bones. All these symptoms, however, may have other causes, such as infection of the prostate or prostate enlargement, a natural result of the aging process.

The prognosis for prostate cancer is quite good if it is caught and treated early. The five-year survival rate for American men with prostate cancer is almost 92 percent, but this number rises to almost 100 percent if the tumor is caught early.

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