Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor of the prostate gland, a walnut-sized organ located in front of the rectum and right below the bladder. The function of the prostate gland is to produce part of seminal fluid, the solution that carries sperm.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than nonmelanoma skin cancer. It is second only to lung cancer as the most common cause of male cancer-related death. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2002, approximately 189,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States and 30,200 men will die from the disease.
Like all cancers, prostate cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth. Cells become cancerous when they divide unpredictably and form tumors. As tumors grow, they squeeze surrounding healthy tissue and use oxygen that would normally be used by healthy cells. They also secrete protein signals that initiate the formation of new blood vessels for the tumor. As a prostate tumor grows, it may spread to the entire prostate gland or to lymph nodes, other organs, or bone.
While there is no known cause for prostate cancer, risk factors include:
More information:
The Prostate Cancer pages of this Web site are part of the Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Awareness Program (CPCAP), a major regional effort to reduce the rates of death and illness caused by prostate cancer in southwestern Pennsylvania. Funding for CPCAP is provided by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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