What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumour that forms in the prostate gland. A man may not experience any symptoms, especially in the earlier stages of the disease. Prostate cancer may be found by a PSA test or digital rectal examination. A PSA test is a simple blood test that measures the amount of the protein prostate-specific antigen. During a digital rectal examination, the doctor feels the prostate gland with a gloved index finger for any irregularities.
“The prostate gland sits below the bladder. The urethra, which drains the bladder of urine, goes right through the middle of the prostate,” says Dr. Peter Black, a urologist active in the Men's Health Initiative of BC. “The gland itself is important to making semen.”
The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown, but some of the risk factors include age, genetics, hormonal reasons, and environmental toxins. “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men,” says Dr. Black. “Overall, a man's lifetime risk in Canada of getting prostate cancer is one in six. And, of those men that get it, the chance of dying from prostate cancer is also one in six.”
The most common symptoms of prostate cancer involve urination. A man may experience:
- A need to urinate often
- An inability to urinate
- An urgency to urinate
- Difficulty in starting or stopping the flow of urine
“Prostate cancer becomes more common the older a man becomes. If you really looked for it carefully and did biopsies in all men at the age of 80, you'd probably find about half of them have prostate cancer,” says Dr. Black. “Only a very small percentage of those men will actually die from prostate cancer, however, because it tends to be a fairly slow-growing disease.”
While it's fortunate that prostate cancer is a slower-growing type of cancer, it can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body such as the lungs, bones and liver. If you experience any symptoms of prostate cancer, or you're due for prostate testing, discuss your options with a men's health provider.
