Introduction to prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States. An estimated 232,090 cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2005, causing an estimated 30,350 deaths. Cancer of the prostate is primarily a disease of older men and tends to grow more slowly than other types of cancers. A man may have malignant prostate cells for a number of years before developing symptoms or may never develop symptoms at all. Elderly patients are usually affected with prostate cancer. A great majority - 70 percent - of all cases of prostate cancer is diagnosed in men age 65 or older. Since some older men may already have serious health problems, the majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer die from causes unrelated to their cancer.

A man's prostate may become enlarged for a number of reasons, including an infection of the prostate (prostatitis), a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate (non-malignant prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH) or prostate cancer. Prostatitis is commonly treated with antibiotics or other medications, while BPH may be treated through medications or surgery. Neither condition increases a man's risk for prostate cancer, even though the symptoms - more frequent urination during the day or night and a burning or painful feeling during urination - may be similar.

Cancer terms:
Tissue: A tissue is a group of similar cells, specialised to perform a particular function (or functions). Examples of tissue include, heart mucslce, skin, bone etc. See cancer terms for more cancer related terms.