Prostate Cancer
1 out of every 8 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. 1 out of every 44 men will die of it. Here's what you need to know.
Summary
After skin cancer, Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men to develop — however, it is not the most devastating, and can often be treated successfully. Prostate cancer begins when the prostate gland begins to grow out of control. The prostate is a gland that only men typically have, and makes some of the fluid that is part of semen. The prostate is an organ just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The urethra — the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body out through the penis — goes directly through the prostate.
The majority of cases of prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. If you are told you have prostate cancer, more than likely it is adenocarcinomas. This cancer develops from the gland cells in the prostate.
Other types of cancer that start in the prostate: Small cell carcinoma, other neuroendocrine tumors, transitional cell carcinoma, and sarcomas.
The tests can be used to look for possible signs, but they can’t tell for sure if you have cancer. The most common way to check is a Prostate-Specific antigen (PSA) blood test. This a test to look for a protein made by cells in the prostate gland. The amount that is found in blood can give a clue if there is Prostate Cancer — Generally, if the PSA level is higher, so are the chances of having prostate cancer. However, it’s not a one to one ratio.
Most men who don’t have prostate cancer will have a PSA level under 4 mL of blood. (not a guarantee they don’t have it)
Men with a PSA level between 4-10 have roughly a ¼ chance of having prostate cancer.
If the PSA is more than 10, there is over a 50% chance of having Prostate Cancer.
Prostate Biopsy: If the Prostate is above average, the safest option to check for Prostate Cancer is to get a Prostate biopsy, in which small samples of the prostate are removed and analyzed under a microscope. This test is the only to know for sure if a man has prostate cancer. If cancer is found in the biopsy, the test can also help predict how likely the cancer is to grow and spread.