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An estimated 209,000 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. Over 40,000 prostate cancer deaths are expected this year.

The good news is that the outlook for men diagnosed with prostate cancer is better than ever. Fifty-eight percent of all prostate cancers are found early, while the tumor is still localized, and the five-year survival rate for these men is 99 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. Although there are implications if the prostate gland is removed, it is not an essential organ and the body can 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 the overgrowth of tissue and this is referred to as a malignancy or cancer of the prostate.

Early prostate cancer often has no warning signs. Since there is no known cure for the disease, early detection and treatment are the best bets for increasing the life expectancy of men who develop prostate cancer.

External Resources: Blasko MD, Lange MD. Prostate cancer: the therapeutic challenge of locally advanced disease. NEJM. 1997; 337. Scardino, P. Rationale for the Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer. Houston, TX: Baylor College of Medicine. The Prostate Cancer Resource Center, American Cancer Society, Michigan Division, Inc.

This article was published on 1999-06-08
This article was reviewed on 2003-02-03