Take the Quiz: Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer can be found in men younger than 40, but it’s very rare in this age group. The risk of prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50 – about 6 in 10 cases of prostate cancer are found in men over the age of 65.

Early prostate cancer usually doesn’t cause symptoms. But as it grows, the cancer can cause things like:

• Problems passing urine (peeing) like a weak or slow stream, or having to go a lot, especially at night.
  
• Blood in the urine
• Erection problems
• Weakness and bone pain

Other diseases cause these symptoms, too. For example, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a much more common cause of urine problems than prostate cancer. Still, it’s important to see a doctor if you have any of these problems so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.

Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in US men. Each year more than 230,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the US. And, it’s the second leading cause of cancer death in US men, behind only lung cancer.

Most men are diagnosed with prostate cancer when it’s still at an early stage – it’s small and has not spread. Not all of these cancers need to be treated. There are many important factors to take into account before deciding on if you need treatment (and if so, what type of treatment), such as your age and general health, and the likelihood that the cancer will cause problems for you. You should also think about possible side effects of treatment. Some men, for example, want to avoid possible surgery and radiation side effects, like incontinence or impotence, for as long as possible.

If you’re older or have other serious health problems and your cancer is slow growing, you might be more inclined to consider active surveillance instead of treatments that might cause major side effects.

Active surveillance means monitoring the cancer closely with regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests, digital rectal exams (DREs), and ultrasounds to see if the cancer is growing. Prostate biopsies may be done, too. If there’s a change in your test results, your doctor would then talk to you about treatment options.

Prostate cancer screening (testing for prostate cancer in men who have no symptoms) is not perfect, and in some men it may do more harm than good.

The American Cancer Society recommends that men have a chance to make an informed decision with their health care provider about whether to be checked for prostate cancer. The decision should be made after getting information about the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits of prostate cancer screening. 

Discussions about screening should take place at age 50 for men who are at average risk of prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years.

This discussion should take place starting at age 45 for men at high risk for prostate cancer. This includes African American men and men who have a first-degree relative (father, brother, or son) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).

This discussion should take place at age 40 for men at even higher risk (those with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age).

After this discussion, those men who want to be screened should be tested with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. The digital rectal exam (DRE) may also be done as a part of screening.

We don’t know the cause of most cases of prostate cancer, so we don’t know how to prevent it. But there are things you can do that might help lower your chances of getting prostate cancer, as well as other types of cancer, such as:

• Getting to and staying at a healthy weight.
• Being physically active.
• Following a healthy eating pattern, which includes a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and avoids or limits red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and highly processed foods.

Call us or check out our Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention to learn more.