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Understanding Prostate Cancer

Like it or not, prostate cancer is going to become a topic of discussion for most men around the age of 40. With an estimated 1 out of 7 men contracting this form of cancer at some point during their lives, the issue is one that just won’t go away. This is especially so during routine medical checkups for men as they age as screening for the disease comes into the picture.

Refusing or avoiding screening for prostate cancer won’t make the potential for this disease disappear. The reality is when men understand the facts behind this particular cancer, they are more inclined to do something about it.

So, what do men need to know?

Here are just a few of the basics:

What Is It?

Prostate cancer operates in much the same way as all forms of cancer. It occurs when something goes awry with the cell replication process. Rather than create healthy cells that do their job and then die off only to be replaced, cancer formation occurs when cell replication gets away from itself. Cancer cells are created, multiply and do not die off. Over time, these cells form tumors that can prove deadly.

In the case of prostate cancer, the cell replication problem originates in the tiny gland found just below the bladder in men.

Important Statistics

An estimated 230,000 American men are diagnosed with this disease each and every year. Even so, only about 1 in 38 men die from this particular disease. That’s because early detection leads to highly effective treatments in most cases. That detection is the result of those screenings men may try to resist as they age.

Prostate cancer is generally considered a slow-growing form of the disease, but some aggressive types do exist. Considering the facts and the ability for a cure to be successful, it just makes sense for men to have screenings performed regularly starting at roughly the age of 40.