Prostate cancer

Thursday 30 November, 2006


This information has been reviewed by:
Associate Professor Jeremy Millar, The Alfred

Use the links above or text below to learn more about prostate cancer, or download a pdf of our latest prostate cancer booklet below.

The prostate

Prostate cancer

Causes of prostate cancer

How common is prostate cancer?

The prostate

The prostate is a small gland about the size of a golf ball. It is found only in men. It sits just below the bladder and surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that takes urine from the bladder to outside the body. The prostate produces some of the fluid that makes up semen. The growth of the prostate depends on the male sex hormone, testosterone, which is made by the testes.

It is common for the prostate to get larger as men grow older. This is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Symptoms of BPH include poor urinary flow, needing to urinate often at night, and trouble starting to urinate. These are quite common in older men. They do not usually have anything to do with cancer.

Diagram of the male reproductive system including the prostate

 

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a malignant tumour of the prostate.

Prostate cancers can be in two main forms:

  • Early prostate cancers (also known as localised prostate cancer) are contained within the prostate. In some cases they may not cause problems for many years and may not need treatment. However some early cancers grow and spread quickly.
  • Advanced prostate cancer implies the cancer has grown faster and spread to the tissues outside the prostate and to other places in the body.

Prostate cancer can spread to lymph nodes in the pelvis and through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the bones and lungs. Most types of cancer spread, but treatment can often stop this happening.

Causes of prostate cancer

The exact cause/s of prostate cancer are not known.

However, the chance of getting prostate cancer increases:

  • as you get older: more than half of all new prostate cancers affect men over the age of 70
  • if your father or a brother had prostate cancer, especially at an early age. Your risk is higher if you have more than one relative affected in this way.

How common is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men (apart from common skin cancers). More than 3000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Victoria each year.

Prostate cancer occurs mainly in men aged over 65 years. It is very rare under 45 years, and not very common in men under 55.

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Updated: 30 Nov, 2006