Prostate Cancer

Medically reviewed by Jamin Brahmbhatt, MD
Updated on June 22, 2023

Prostate cancer is a slow-growing cancer that starts in the cells of the prostate gland, a part of the male reproductive system. There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. A biopsy is the only way to formally diagnose prostate cancer, and treatment options range from active surveillance (careful monitoring) to surgery and radiation. After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting American men.

Understanding Prostate Cancer

natural treatments for prostate cancer prevention
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer?
Doctor talking with a male patient in doctors office
Why Early Prostate Cancer Is Symptom-Free
doctor holding a model of the prostate gland
What Is the Purpose of Prostate Surgery?
prostate cancer survivor
Prostate Cancer Survival Rates and Statistics

Key Terms

  • Acute Bacterial Prostatitis

    Inflammation of the prostate caused by a bacterial infection. Prostatitis can cause pain and urinary symptoms, such as increased frequency and/or urgency and difficulty urinating. These urinary symptoms overlap with symptoms of prostate cancer, but they are separate conditions. Tests, including urinalysis to check for bacteria, can help determine if prostatitis is causing the symptoms.

    What Is Prostatitis?
  • Prostate Gland

    A walnut-size gland that is part of the male reproductive system and secretes a seminal fluid that’s a major part of semen. The prostate is located just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube from the bladder to the urethral opening in the penis. When cancer begins in the prostate, it is called prostate cancer.

  • PSA Test

    A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that measures a protein made by the prostate. Increased levels may indicate prostate cancer. Although, an abnormal PSA is just as likely to be due to a benign cause (such as prostatitis) as it is to be due to cancer. Similarly, men with prostate cancer can have a normal PSA. To make a prostate diagnosis, a biopsy needs to be done.

    Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test
  • Active Surveillance

    Carefully monitoring a cancer (often every six months) and only treating it with surgery or therapies if it begins to progress. Active surveillance is a common option for low-risk prostate cancers that are small and considered non-aggressive.

Diagnosis

Doctor discussing prostate ultrasound scan with a patient
What Tests Are Done to Diagnose Prostate Cancer?
Person in hospital bed
When a Prostate Biopsy Is or Is Not Necessary
A doctor holding a vile of blood
What Do PSA Levels Mean?

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How do you get prostate cancer?

    What causes prostate cancer is uncertain, but there are known risk factors, such as age or inherited genetic mutations. Roughly 60% of men are diagnosed after the age of 65. It develops more frequently in African Americans and Caribbean men of African ancestry. Having high levels of androgens (hormones) or being exposed to Agent Orange or occupational pesticides may also increase risk.

    Learn More: Causes and Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer
  • How do you prevent prostate cancer?

    It’s unknown what may help prevent prostate cancer, but lifestyle factors that may be helpful include eating a diet that’s high in fruits and vegetables and low in red meat and dairy and exercising regularly. Discuss screenings with a physician if you are over age 45, or after age 40 if you have a family history of prostate cancer or gene mutations linked to prostate cancer.

  • Is prostate cancer curable?

    When prostate cancer is caught early, treatments can cure the disease. Also, many prostate cancers are considered non-aggressive and may never progress or cause symptoms. In these cases, careful monitoring of the tumor (active surveillance) for signs of progression may be recommended before considering surgery, radiation, and other therapies.

    Learn More: How Prostate Cancer Is Treated
  • Is prostate cancer hereditary?

    About 5% to 10% of prostate cancers are hereditary, including inherited gene mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, that are linked to other cancers. The chance that a prostate cancer is hereditary is increased if first-degree relatives have had prostate cancer.

    Learn More: Causes and Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer

Treatment

Lab technician examining sample under microscope
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Doctor talking to patient in office
Who Can Treat Your Prostate Cancer?
Doctor handshaking with senior man in examination room
How Prostate Cancer Treatment Affects Longevity
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Get Info on the Typical Progression of Prostate Cancer When Untreated

Living With Prostate Cancer

Middle Aged Couple Kissing
Learn When Can You Can Have Sex Again After Prostate Cancer Treatment
It was hard but worth it
The Risks of Taking Testosterone Treatments With Prostate Cancer
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Know the Truth About Your Penis Size Changing After Prostate Surgery
Radiologist consoling a senior patient at MRI scan.
How PSA Doubling Time Shows a Prostate Cancer Relapse
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Orgasms After Prostate Cancer Treatment
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Types of Prostate Cancer
Blood sample with PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) high result
Prostate Cancer
An Elderly Gentleman in His Doctors Office Receiving a Check-Up
Prostate Cancer Staging and Risk Assessment
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The Seminal Vesicle and Its Role in Prostate Cancer
Doctor explaining urological problems
Prostate Bed in Prostate Cancer Treatment
doctor discussing medical chart with male patient
What Is an Enlarged Prostate?
A person with prostate cancer consults with a healthcare provider
Navigating an MCRPC Diagnosis
A patient prepares for a CT scan.
How Axumin PET Scans Work for Prostate Cancer
Transrectal Ultrasound
What to Expect From a Transrectal Ultrasound
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Stage 3 Prostate Cancer
Doctor giving consultation to patient using digital tablet
Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Treatments and Prognosis
Male patient and doctor in discussion in exam room
How to Tell If Your Prostate Cancer Has Metastasized
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis (DRE)
What Is a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)?
Black woman doctor talking to patient in hospital
Getting a Prostate Ultrasound for Prostate Cancer
Man talking to doctor
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test
Doctor talking to patient in hospital room
Understanding Your PSA Results
Doctor checking senior mans back in examination room
How Alkaline Phosphatase Relates to Prostate Cancer
A person with prostate cancer consults a healthcare provider
What Happens When Hormone Treatment for Prostate Cancer Stops Working?
A person sits on a hospital bed and looks out the window
Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Prognosis​
A person with prostate cancer receives and infusion
Timing to Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC)
A person with prostate cancer discusses treatment options with a healthcare provider
Treatment for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer​
Healthcare provider discusses treatment options with person who has prostate cancer
Surgery vs. Radiation for Prostate Cancer: Uses, Benefits, Side Effects
Turmeric
How Could Turmeric Prevent or Treat Prostate Cancer?
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The Use of Zytiga After Lupron to Control Prostate Cancer
man and woman dancing
Prostate Surgery: Long-Term Care
pen and schedule with prostate exam written on it
What Is a Prostate Exam?
Mature male patient sitting on exam table in discussion with doctor in exam room.
Frequent Ejaculation Lowers Prostate Cancer Risk
Page Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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  5. Mahal BA, Butler S, Franco I, et al. Use of Active Surveillance or Watchful Waiting for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer and Management Trends Across Risk Groups in the United States, 2010-2015. JAMA. 2019;321(7):704-706. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.19941

  6. American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer risk factors.

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  8. Lewis-mikhael AM, Bueno-cavanillas A, Ofir giron T, Olmedo-requena R, Delgado-rodríguez M, Jiménez-moleón JJ. Occupational exposure to pesticides and prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Occup Environ Med. 2016;73(2):134-44. doi:10.1136/oemed-2014-102692

  9. American Cancer Society. Initial treatment of prostate cancer, by stage and risk group.