Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the condition in which cells of the prostate reproduce more rapidly than in normal prostate, creating swelling or a tumour. It is not the same thing as Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or Prostatitis and having one of these disease won’t lead to prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer and is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American men. Prostate cancer is also the most common non-skin cancer in men, affecting about one in six men in the United States.

In other parts of the world –notably Asia, Africa and Latin America — prostate cancer is rare. The exact cause of prostate cancer is unclear but for some reason, the incidence of prostate cancer is higher in African Americans (about twice that of white men), and lowest in Asian men. The cause of prostate cancer is unknown, although some studies have shown a relationship between high dietary fat intake and increased testosterone levels.

Apart from etnic background, family history of prostate cancer also increase a person’s chance of having prostate cancer. A man’s risk for developing prostate cancer is higher if his father or brother has had the disease. For that reason, testing is essential from when men turn 50 years of age and even 40 years of age if prostate cancer is prevalent in the family. However, the main cause of prostate cancer is probably age. Prostate cancer is most often diagnosed in men 65and older, although younger men can be diagnosed with it as well. Prostate cancer is largely a disease of older men and is rare below the age of 50.

Prostate cancer is typically a very slow growing tumor, often causing no symptoms until advanced stages. It is often known as a silent killer because it often lacks symptoms, so annual screening tests are recommended. If prostate cancer is caught early and before it has spread to other parts of the body, it can often be treated successfully. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test performed in conjunction with digital rectal exam (DRE) will usually show reliable indication of prostate cancer, especially when free PSA reading in taken into consideration.

Your doctor will do a prostate biopsy to find out if the disease is present, if the result suggest that you might have prostate cancer. Biopsy is a highly accurate way to tell if prostate cancer is present, provided targeting of cancer suspected cancer location is spot-on. Once a prostate cancer is diagnosed on a biopsy, additional tests are done to assess whether the cancer has spread beyond the gland.

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed among men in the United States. Because prostate cancer is so slow-growing, many men, once diagnosed are told to do nothing but “watch and wait” for it to progress. Generally, prostate cancer is a progressive disease that is likely to grow and spread over a period of time, unless it is treated.

Statistically 180,000 new prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in the United States each year with roughly 32,000 men dying from this disease annually. Some men may never have any symptoms or problems from the disease. Although these diseases have different causes, they have similar symptoms. The symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or of other problems in the prostate may be similar to symptoms of prostate cancer. An early test can be performed on men who have no symptoms of prostate cancer.

There’s growing medical research which implies that men who had a diet rich in selenium and vitamin E. had fewer cases of prostate cancer. Researchers are certain that a low-fat diet along with appropriate vitamins and minerals can help keep you healthier and make you better able to fight off disease. However, the symptoms associated with prostate cancer, are often misinterpreted as benign conditions. Usually as prostate cancer grows, men tend to suffer from pain in the lower back, upper thighs and pelvis. Other symptoms associated with prostate cancer are complications in urinating, interrupted flow, finding it difficult to stop or start urinating, presence of blood in the urine and the presence of pain and burning sensation.

Choosing a treatment for prostate cancer is not easy. For the first time, research shows that hormone therapy, a common treatment for prostate cancer, can raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The appropriate treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial. During the past decade, brachytherapy has emerged as a successful and cost-effective outpatient treatment for localized prostate cancer. Treatments also include the placement of tiny radioactive pellets into the prostate by utilizing ultrasound. Treatment depends on the point of diagnosis and the severity of the disease. Treatment for prostate cancer can involve surgery to remove the prostate or radiation therapy. Androgen deprivation, or hormonal therapy, is the standard treatment for prostate cancer that has spread beyond the gland.