If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you are not alone. This year, more than 180,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the United States.  When detected early, there is a good chance that your cancer can be cured or controlled.

You probably have many questions about what it means to have prostate cancer. This site contains information about prostate cancer and is designed to help you discuss treatment options with your doctor.  When you talk to your doctor, ask as many questions as you need to. Many men find it helpful to write their questions down ahead of time and bring a family member with them as a "second set of ears."

Learning all you can about prostate cancer should provide many of the answers you are looking for and may ease some of your anxiety and fears. You may also want to contact the organizations listed on the this page for further information about prostate cancer or to learn about support services that are available.

The prostate gland helps create semen. It is about the size of a walnut and lies between the rectum and the bladder. It also surrounds the upper part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder and through the penis.

Prostate cancer develops in cells inside the prostate.  These cells may grow and divide and form tumors.  Sometimes, cells break away from a tumor and travel to other parts of the body. Doctors aren't sure what causes prostate cancer, but a man's chance of getting the disease rises as he grows older. African American men are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as white men. Your risk also doubles if you have a father or brother with prostate cancer.

Many men with early prostate cancer have no symptoms.  When men do have symptoms they may include:

• The need to urinate more often, difficulty urinating, or a weak or interrupted flow of urine
• Pain or burning while urinating
• Blood in the urine or semen
• Difficulty having an erection or painful ejaculation

These symptoms can also be caused by less serious health problems such as infection, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPR), a condition that involves the overgrowth of noncancerous prostate cells.  Talk to your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.

The most important test for early detection of prostate cancer is a blood test that measures the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein made by prostate cells.  PSA levels below 4 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter) are considered normal; between 4 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL are borderline; and above 10 ng/mL are high. A high PSA level alone does not represent a definite diagnosis of prostate cancer. Other noncancerous conditions, such as BPH, can also cause a borderline or high PSA level.

A digital rectal exam (DRE) is also used to detect prostate cancer. A doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to feel the prostate for signs of cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that all men over age 50 (and younger men with a family history of prostate cancer) have a PSA test and a DRE every year.

A trans rectal ultrasound (TRUS) uses sound waves to create a picture of the prostate on a video screen. A small probe is placed in the rectum. The probe releases sound waves that create echoes as they enter the prostate. Doctors can detect prostate tumors based on the pattern of echoes, including small tumors that might not be felt by a DRE.

If the results of these tests suggest prostate cancer, your doctor will perform a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. A small amount of prostate tissue is removed - usually with a needle. A pathologist will then examine the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells.

When cancer is present, your doctor will usually grade the cancer using a measurement called the Gleason system. This tells the doctor how fast the cancer is likely to grow and spread. Doctors usually grade two areas of the cancer, and the grades are added together for a Gleason score that ranges between 2 and 10. The higher the score, the more likely the cancer will grow and spread quickly.

Your doctor may also order computed tomography (called a CT or CAT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or other tests to help "stage" the cancer. Staging describes whether the cancer is confined to the prostate (called localized prostate cancer) or has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body such as the lymph nodes, bones, or other organs.

A widely used staging system in the United States is called the TNM System. It describes the size of the tumor (T stage), whether it has spread to nearby lymph nodes (N stage), and whether it has metastasized to other parts of the body (M stage). Other systems use Stage I through IV, or A through D. These range from early tumors that cannot be felt by digital rectal exam (Stage I or A) to cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (Stage IV or D).

Both grading and staging play a key role in determining your treatment for prostate cancer. Ask your doctor to fully explain the grade and stage of your cancer before discussing your treatment options.