About Prostate Cancer: Get the Facts
Facts About the Prostate
The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland located under the bladder. This gland, found only in men, is responsible for producing fluids that nourish and protect sperm cells.
Facts About Prostate Cancer
As you may have learned from the About Cancer page, cancer occurs when abnormal cells divide uncontrollably. When this process happens in the prostate, prostate cancer develops. Almost all prostate cancers develop in the glandular cells of the prostate. The glandular cells supply the fluid for the prostate to nourish and protect sperm cells.
When cancer develops in glandular cells, it is called adenocarcinoma
. Other types of prostate cancer are very rare. So, if you have prostate cancer, more than likely it is adenocarcinoma.
Most prostate cancers grow slowly over time. As a matter of fact, autopsies have revealed that many deceased older men had prostate cancer and did not even know it.
Sometimes the cancer can spread, or metastasize
, outside of the prostate and into other body parts. If prostate cancer spreads, it usually spreads to the bones.
Facts About Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer
Androgen-independent prostate cancer, AIPC, (also called hormone-refractory
prostate cancer) is advanced prostate cancer. Male hormones, mainly testosterone, stimulate the growth of prostate cancers. People with prostate cancer often receive hormonal therapy
to help slow the growth of the cancer. However, eventually most people with prostate cancer quit responding to hormonal therapy, and the prostate cancer progresses. This is when prostate cancer becomes androgen independent.
Prostate Cancer Statistics
According to the American Cancer Society:
- Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States.
- Next to lung cancer, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death among men in the United States.
- Approximately 1 in 6 men will develop prostate cancer.
- It is estimated that in 2006, approximately 234,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
- In recent years, death rates due to prostate cancer have dropped about 3.5%, thanks to early detection and advanced treatment.
What causes prostate cancer is unknown. However, there are things that may put people at an increased risk for prostate cancer. Learn more about prostate cancer, including androgen-independent prostate cancer:
