An Overview of Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a gland located in the male body that wraps around the urethra and lies close to the rectum.
This gland produces a fluid that protects and nourishes the sperm among other functions.
The prostate gland is approximately the size of a walnut and begins to develop at birth.
Male hormones cause the growth of the prostate, so if the hormone levels are low, the prostate gland will not grow to the size that it should.
In any type of cancer, cells transform and continue to grow, creating masses called tumors.
The prostate contains several different types of cells; however, the most common cells that are affected by cancer are the gland cells.
This type of cancer is referred to as adenocarcinoma.
Prostate cancer tends to grow slowly; therefore, many men who have this disease do not even know that they have it.
How many men does it affect? Approximately half of all men experience some sort of cell changes in their prostate cells by the time they reach the age of 50.
Autopsies have revealed that many older men and younger ones, too, had some level of this type of cancer that never caused a problem during their lifetimes.
Their doctors never even knew that they had it; however, this does not happen in every case.
Approximately 200,000 men are diagnosed with this cancer annually even though only about 30,000 die from it.
As with any other type of cancer, if caught early enough, the prognosis of the disease is good.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found among American men besides skin cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer will be reported and 27,260 people will die.
It is the second leading cause of cancer death among men, with lung cancer ranking first.
The great news is that more than 2 million men who have had prostate cancer or who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are alive today.
The death rate is going down and the chances for catching the disease in the earlier forms is on the rise.
Causes and Risk Factors The changing DNA of the cells located in the prostate causes continued cell growth; however, researchers do not know what exactly causes prostate cancer.
What they have found out is that there are several risk factors that are associated with the disease.
These risk factors include: ·Age, race, and nationality ·Family history ·Genes ·Diet ·Obesity ·Lack of exercise ·Infection of the prostate ·Inflammation of the prostate If you think that you are in a potential risk factor group, it is advisable that you contact your physician to schedule an appointment for an exam to get checked out.
There are two exams that are used to diagnose the disease and both require little effort on your part and are very short in duration.
This gland produces a fluid that protects and nourishes the sperm among other functions.
The prostate gland is approximately the size of a walnut and begins to develop at birth.
Male hormones cause the growth of the prostate, so if the hormone levels are low, the prostate gland will not grow to the size that it should.
In any type of cancer, cells transform and continue to grow, creating masses called tumors.
The prostate contains several different types of cells; however, the most common cells that are affected by cancer are the gland cells.
This type of cancer is referred to as adenocarcinoma.
Prostate cancer tends to grow slowly; therefore, many men who have this disease do not even know that they have it.
How many men does it affect? Approximately half of all men experience some sort of cell changes in their prostate cells by the time they reach the age of 50.
Autopsies have revealed that many older men and younger ones, too, had some level of this type of cancer that never caused a problem during their lifetimes.
Their doctors never even knew that they had it; however, this does not happen in every case.
Approximately 200,000 men are diagnosed with this cancer annually even though only about 30,000 die from it.
As with any other type of cancer, if caught early enough, the prognosis of the disease is good.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found among American men besides skin cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer will be reported and 27,260 people will die.
It is the second leading cause of cancer death among men, with lung cancer ranking first.
The great news is that more than 2 million men who have had prostate cancer or who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are alive today.
The death rate is going down and the chances for catching the disease in the earlier forms is on the rise.
Causes and Risk Factors The changing DNA of the cells located in the prostate causes continued cell growth; however, researchers do not know what exactly causes prostate cancer.
What they have found out is that there are several risk factors that are associated with the disease.
These risk factors include: ·Age, race, and nationality ·Family history ·Genes ·Diet ·Obesity ·Lack of exercise ·Infection of the prostate ·Inflammation of the prostate If you think that you are in a potential risk factor group, it is advisable that you contact your physician to schedule an appointment for an exam to get checked out.
There are two exams that are used to diagnose the disease and both require little effort on your part and are very short in duration.
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