Prostate cancer

[Sommer]

The risk of prostate cancer increases as men age.
Symptoms, such as difficulty urinating, a need to urinate frequently and urgently, and blood in the urine, usually occur only after the cancer is advanced.
The cancer can spread, most commonly to bones and lymph nodes.
Screening tests are controversial, but doctors may do a digital rectal examination to examine the prostate using a gloved finger in the rectum and a blood test (PSA) to check for prostate cancer in men without symptoms.
If cancer is suspected, ultrasonography and a biopsy of prostate tissue are done.
Treatment may involve active surveillance, removal of the prostate gland, radiation therapy, or hormonal or newer drugs to slow cancer growth.

Among men in the United States, prostate cancer is the most common cancer and one of the most common causes of cancer death. Every year, more than 174,650 new cases are diagnosed and 31,620 people die of prostate cancer (2019 estimates). The chance of developing prostate cancer increases with age and is greater for

Men who are black or Hispanic
Men whose close relatives had the disease
Men who have relatives with other cancers such as breast or ovarian

Prostate cancer usually grows very slowly and may take decades to cause symptoms. Thus, particularly because it occurs more often in older men, far more men have prostate cancer than die from it. Many men with prostate cancer die from other causes without ever knowing that they had prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer begins in a small area of the gland. Most prostate cancers grow very slowly and never cause symptoms. Some, however, grow rapidly or spread outside the prostate. The cause of prostate cancer is not known.