Prostate Cancer Third Among the Killer Cancers in the US

According to studies conducted by the American Cancer Society, other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in America . The same study estimates that in 2006, around 234,460 cases of prostate cancer in the US . Out of the total number of cases, it is estimated that some 27,350 patients will die of the disease. Although one in every six men in the United States will get prostate cancer in his lifetime, only 1 in 34 will die of this illness. Still this is a staggering statistic. Currently, prostate cancer is third among the killer cancers in the US , after colorectal cancer and lung cancer.

What is the Origin of Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer originates mostly in the prostate gland of the male. The prostrate is only found in male anatomy and is important in the reproductive function of the male. The prostrate is a walnut size organ located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It provides seminal fluids to the male reproductive organ and keeps the sperm healthy. More often, prostate cancer is slow growing but there are times when it can also grow fast and spread rapidly into the other parts of the body.

Prostate Cancer Detection

Prostate cancer can be detected in the changes in the size and shape of the prostate glands often known in the medical industry as prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia or PIN. Where the changes is low-grade (normal), you can breath easy but if the changes is high-grade (abnormal), you should ask for further test. Chances are, where you have high-grade PIN, there are prostate cancer cells lurking in your system. If you get high-grade PIN diagnosis, do not hesitate to take further test to ascertain the truth about your condition. Remember that early detection is very important.

Causes of Prostate Cancer

Like most other cancers, the causes of prostate cancer are still unknown. However, risk of getting prostate cancer is considerably increased in men who smoke. Hereditary factors like those that if you have members in the family who suffered prostate cancer; chances are you are also at risk to contract the same. However, having there are a lot of men who have all the prostate cancer risk factors against them but they never really get prostate cancer while thee are those whom doctors would tag as having remote possibilities of getting the disease turn-out to be diagnosed if prostrate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Research

Although how men get prostate cancer is still a medical mystery, there are certain things, which have been proven in studies conducted by several authorities. Prostate Cancer Studies show that as the men gets older, they become more at risk of getting prostrate cancer. About two out of every three prostrate cancer patients are men over 65 years old. This leads some experts in the field to believe that prostate cancer maybe directly connected with the fact that the prostrate glands in men keeps growing around the urethra even when they get older. However, not all cases of continued growth in the glands around the urethra lead to prostate cancer. In most cases, this continued growth is associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, which causes problems in urinating but is generally harmless in it.