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Did You Know? Video Series from the National Cancer Institute:
Prostate Cancer
Did you know that prostate cancer
is one of the most common cancers in the United States,
representing almost 1 out of 10 new cancer cases?
The prostate is a small reproductive gland
found only in men.
It makes fluid that is part of semen.
Nearly all prostate cancers occur when the cells
that make prostate fluid grow out of control.
Although outcomes vary among prostate cancer patients,
most men diagnosed with the disease
can still live long lives.
The number of men living with prostate cancer
has increased from 1.65 million in 2000,
to over 3 million in 2016.
The 5-year relative survival for prostate cancer is 98%.
This means that out of every 100 men
diagnosed with prostate cancer, about 98 have not died from
their cancer five years since diagnosis,
after adjusting for other causes of death.
However, because survival statistics are based
on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict
exactly what will happen to an individual patient.
In the United States, prostate cancer occurs
more frequently in certain populations.
Prostate cancer is most common in men
between the ages of 65 and 74.
African American men have the highest rates of
prostate cancer diagnosis and are more than twice as likely
to die from prostate cancer
than men of other races and ethnicities.
The disparities seen in prostate cancer mortality
are due in part to low socioeconomic status,
which may result in lack of health care coverage
and unequal access to health care services
as well as improved treatment options.
Research from NCI shows that
certain variations in DNA may also create
an increased risk for developing prostate cancer.
A major risk factor for prostate cancer is
having a family history of the disease.
A man is two to three times more likely
to develop prostate cancer if his father, brother,
or son has had it.
Not everyone with prostate cancer needs treatment.
Prostate cancer is typically slow growing
and has few early symptoms.
For men diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer,
active surveillance may be a good option.
Active surveillance means that the doctor
closely monitors the cancer but does not treat it unless
symptoms or test results show it is becoming more advanced.
Locally advanced prostate cancer can cause symptoms including:
Frequent, sudden or painful urination,
Blood in the urine or semen,
Painful ejaculation,
Pain in the back, hips or pelvis,
or difficulty emptying the bladder.
Talk with your doctor if you’re experiencing
any of these conditions.
Treatments for newly diagnosed prostate cancer include:
Surgery,
Radiation therapy,
Chemotherapy,
and Hormone therapy.
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer,
it is important to talk with your doctor about
what surveillance or treatment options are best for you.
For more information on prostate cancer, go to cancer.gov
or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
For more cancer statistics, go to seer.cancer.gov
By the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
National Cancer Institute
Produced February, 2020