Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, second to lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates more than 215,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year. As many as one in six men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with this disease at some point in their lives. Prostate cancer is often slow growing, usually occurs late in life, and often has no symptoms until it is well advanced.

This type of cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells that results in the formation of a tumor in the prostate. Prostate cancer may also spread into other parts of the body (metastasize), such as the lymph nodes, bones, and other organs.

Risk Factors  |  Prevention  |  Symptoms  |  Screenings/Tests  |  More Health Information

Risk Factors

It is not known exactly what causes prostate cancer, though researchers have identified some risk factors. These include:

• Men ages 65 or older. Eighty percent of the men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over age 65.
• Family history (having a male relative who had prostate cancer).
• In the United States, African Americans have higher rates of cancer than African Americans in other countries.

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Prevention

Even though there is no known way to prevent the disease, here are some things you can do that may reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer:

• Eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet.
• Take vitamin E everyday. There is some evidence that taking extra vitamin E may reduce your chances of developing prostate cancer. The daily recommended dose is 800 IU.
• Eat vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, and foods that contain tomato or tomato sauce.

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Symptoms

If detected by a blood test, prostate cancer rarely has any significant symptoms. Most problems that occur with the prostate are due to benign processes such as infections or hypertrophy, unless the cancer is far advanced. However, some symptoms of prostate cancer may include:

• Difficulty starting the urine stream
• Inability to urinate
• Decreased strength of the urine stream
• Waking at night to urinate
• Frequent urination
• Painful or burning urination
• Feeling that the bladder is not completely empty
• Blood in urine

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Screenings/Tests

The American Cancer Society recommends PSA and DRE screenings annually for men aged 50 to 79 years or starting at age 45 if you are African-American or there is a strong family history of prostate cancer.

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) - PSA is a blood test. Men with enlarged prostate glands, prostate infections (prostatitis), or prostate cancers have higher amounts of PSA in their blood than men who do not have any of these conditions. However, the PSA test alone cannot be used to diagnose prostate cancer.

Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) - A DRE checks for abnormalities of organs or other structures in the pelvic and lower abdominal area. This exam checks the prostate gland in men. This is done for men as part of a complete physical exam.
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More Health Information

Health Library | Learn more about prostate cancer
Health Library | Prostate cancer prevention
Health Library | Further reading on prostate cancer

cancer.sutterhealth.org | Visit our web site dedicated to cancer education/services





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