What is the Prostate and Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow in the prostate. The prostate is a gland that surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the end of the penis in men. Women do not have a prostate gland.
Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer
among men, second only to skin cancer. It is also the second leading cause of cancer
death, after lung cancer. In 2010, over
200,000 men were
diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 30,000 died of their disease.
The Male Urogenital System
© 2011 Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
The prostate does several things. The most important thing it does is to produce a part of seminal fluid. It can also help stop urine from leaking and protect the reproductive tract from urinary tract infections. It is not, however, a vital organ, which means that you can live without it. And although it helps with urinary continence, potency, and fertility, it is not entirely necessary for them.
Prostate Cancer Illustration
© 2011 Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Prostate cancer happens when cells within the prostate grow out of control. Normally the cells of the prostate grow, divide, and die in a specific way. An increase in prostate size because of an increase in the number of normal prostate cells is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This is not a cancer. Cancer cells are abnormal cells which continue to grow and divide and may spread to other parts of the body. More than 95% of prostate cancers come from the glandular cells of the prostate.
Cancer cells divide and damage tissue around them. They can enter the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body. This can be life threatening. Prostate cancer produces local symptoms by producing pressure on the bladder, urethra, and surrounding tissues. It also has a tendency to spread beyond the prostate gland to the bones
