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An estimated 186,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, making prostate cancer the most common cancer among American men, except for skin cancer. More than 28,000 prostate cancer deaths are expected this year.

The good news is that the outlook for men diagnosed with prostate cancer is better than ever. Almost sixty percent of all prostate cancers are found early, before the tumor has spread beyond the prostate. The five-year survival rate for these men is more than 95 percent.

What is the prostate gland and how does it function?

The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut and is situated below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The urethra (a long tube that carries urine out of the body) passes through the prostate.

The prostate gland produces a fluid that serves as the vehicle for sperm. If the prostate gland has to be removed, the body can still function without it.

Are all prostate tumors cancerous?

Many men, especially as they age, are affected by an overgrowth of prostate tissue. At times, this tissue overgrowth is benign, meaning that the cells do not contain cancer. This prostate condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. Other times, abnormal cancerous cells are present in an overgrowth of tissue. This is referred to as a malignancy or cancer of the prostate.

Early prostate cancer often has no warning signs. Early detection and treatment are the best bets for increasing the life expectancy of men who develop prostate cancer.

Sources: Dollinger M, Rosenbaum, EH, Tempero M., et al. Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, Fourth Edition, Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002. American Cancer Society. Overview: prostate cancer. Accessed May 19, 2008. National Foundation for Cancer Research. Prostate cancer. Accessed May 19, 2008.

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