Are You At Risk For Prostate Cancer?

By Mark Bilowus, MD

What Is the Prostate?

The prostate is a gland located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It wraps around a tube called the urethra, which carries urine and semen out of the penis. The prostrate makes a fluid that is a part of semen, the white fluid that contains sperm.

The prostrate gland starts out about the size of an almond and remains that size until boys reach puberty, when it doubles in size. When a man is about 45 years old, the prostate often starts growing again. In some men, it will continue to grow for the rest of their lives. This growth is made up of benign tissue and is known medically as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. BPH is not cancer nor does it lead to cancer, but it can interfere with the normal flow of urine and causes uncomfortable symptoms.

What Is Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer begins inside the prostate and may grow to involve the entire gland and then spread outside the gland. As it grows, it may also spread to other parts of the body. Some prostate cancers grow slowly, while other prostate cancers can be very aggressive, spreading quickly to other parts of the body, especially the lymph nodes and the bones. This is called metastasis.

Who Gets Prostate Cancer?

Although prostate cancer can occur in men of all ages, it occurs more frequently in men over 50 and is most common in men over 65. African-American men and men with close family members who have had prostate cancer are more likely to develop this cancer than other men.

How Is Prostate
Cancer Diagnosed?

A biopsy is the only way to know for sure if you have prostate cancer. Your doctor may have been concerned about results of your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test or felt something that was not normal while doing a digital rectal exam (DRE) and ordered a biopsy.

A biopsy is a procedure, normally done in the doctor's office, where one or more small pieces of prostate tissue are removed through a thin needle and examined for cancer under a microscope. Biopsies are often done during a procedure called transrectal ultrasound (TRUS).

Once prostate cancer has been found, more tests will be needed to determine the extent or stage of your cancer.