American Cancer Society - QuickFACTS Prostate Cancer: What You Need to Know-NOW

Published by the American Cancer Society/Health Promotions 250 Williams Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 USA

Copyright 2011 American Cancer Society

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America
Cover designed by Jill Dible, Atlanta, GA
Composition by Graphic Composition, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Quickfacts prostate cancer: what you need to know-now / from the experts at the American Cancer Society. 2nd ed.

p. cm. (Quick facts)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60443-075-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60443-008-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. ProstateCancerPopular works. I. American Cancer

Society. II. Title: Prostate cancer

RC280.P7Q53 2011

616.99463-dc22

This information represents the views of the doctors and nurses serving on the American Cancer Societys Cancer Information Database Editorial Board. These views are based on their interpretation of studies published in medical journals, as well as their own professional experience.

The treatment information in this book is not official policy of the Society and is not intended as medical advice to replace the expertise and judgment of your cancer care team. It is intended to help you and your family make informed decisions, together with your doctor.

Your doctor may have reasons for suggesting a treatment plan different from these general treatment options. Dont hesitate to ask him or her questions about your treatment options.

For more information, contact your American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or cancer.org.

Bulk purchases of this book are available at a discount. For information, contact the American Cancer Society at .

For special sales, contact us at .

The body is made up of hundreds of millions of living cells.* Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a persons life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries.

Cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. There are many kinds of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.

Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells. Cancer cells can also invade (grow into) other tissues, something that normal cells cannot do. Growing out of control and invading other tissues are what makes a cell a cancer cell.

Cells become cancer cells because of damage to DNA. DNA is in every cell and directs all its *Terms inbold typeare further explained in the Glossary, beginning on page 171.

actions. In a normal cell, when DNA gets damaged the cell either repairs the damage or the cell dies. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired, but the cell doesnt die like it should. Instead, this cell goes on making new cells that the body does not need. These new cells will all have the same damaged DNA as the first cell does.

People can inherit damaged DNA, but most DNA damage is caused by mistakes that happen while the normal cell is reproducing or by something in our environment. Sometimes the cause of the DNA damage is something obvious, like cigarette smoking. But often no clear cause is found.

In most cases, the cancer cells form a tumor. Some cancers, like leukemia, rarely form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow.

Cancer cells often travel to other parts of the body, where they begin to grow and form new tumors that replace normal tissue. This process is called metastasis. It happens when the cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels of our body.

No matter where a cancer may spread, it is always named for the place where it started. For example, breast cancer that has spread to the liver is still called breast cancer, not liver cancer. Likewise, prostate cancer that has spread to the bone is metastatic prostate cancer, not bone cancer.

Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different

rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of cancer.

Not all tumors are malignant (cancerous). Tumors that arent cancer are called benign. Benign tumors can cause problemsthey can grow very large and press on healthy organs and tissues. But they cannot invade (grow into) other tissues. Because they cant invade, they also cant metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body. These tumors are almost never life threatening.

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located in front of the rectum and underneath the urinary bladder. It is found only in men. The prostates job is to make some of the fluid that protects and nourishes sperm cells in semen. Just behind the prostate gland are the seminal vesicles that make most of the fluid for semen. The urethra, which is the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body through the penis, runs through the prostate.

The prostate starts to develop before birth and continues to grow until a man reaches adulthood. This growth is fueled by male hormones (called androgens) in the body. The main androgen, testosterone, is made in the testicles. The enzyme 5 alpha-reductase converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT signals the prostate to grow. The prostate stays at adult size in adults as long as male hormones are present. In older men, the inner part of the prostate (around the urethra) often keeps growing, leading to a common condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In BPH, the prostate tissue can press on the urethra, leading to problems passing urine. Although BPH can be a serious medical problem, it is not cancer.

Several types of cells are found in the prostate, but more than 99% of prostate cancers develop from the gland cells. Gland cells make the prostate fluid that is added to the semen. The medical term for a cancer that starts in gland cells is adenocarcinoma.