Prostate Cancer

The prostate is the gland below a man’s bladder that produces fluid for semen. Prostate cancer is common among older men. It is rare in men younger than 40. Risk factors for developing prostate cancer include being over 65 years of age, family history, and being African-American.

Symptoms of prostate cancer may include

• Problems passing urine, such as pain, difficulty starting or stopping the stream, or dribbling
• Low back pain
• Pain with ejaculation

To diagnose prostate cancer, you doctor may do a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate for lumps or anything unusual. You may also get a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA). These tests are also used in prostate cancer screening, which looks for cancer before you have symptoms. If your results are abnormal, you may need more tests, such as an ultrasound, MRI, or biopsy.

Treatment often depends on the stage of the cancer. How fast the cancer grows and how different it is from surrounding tissue helps determine the stage. Men with prostate cancer have many treatment options. The treatment that’s best for one man may not be best for another. The options include watchful waiting, surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. You may have a combination of treatments.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

• Cryotherapy for prostate cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Digital rectal exam (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Gleason grading system (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hormone therapy for prostate cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pelvic (between the hips) radiation – discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Prostate brachytherapy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Prostate cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Prostate cancer – treatment (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Prostate cancer staging (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Understanding Chemotherapy – NIH – Easy-to-Read (National Cancer Institute) – PDF
• Understanding your prostate cancer risk (Medical Encyclopedia)
• What to Know about Brachytherapy (A Type of Internal Radiation Therapy) – NIH – Easy-to-Read (National Cancer Institute) – PDF
• What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy – NIH – Easy-to-Read (National Cancer Institute) – PDF

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