Review: Introduction to Prostate Cancer

Here is what we have learned from Introduction to Prostate Cancer:

• Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in American men, following only skin cancer.
• Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in American males and the leading cause of cancer death in males over 85.
• Prostate cancer should not be confused with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), a gradual enlargement of the prostate gland that occurs in more than half of men over 45.
• Ninety-five percent of prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas that arise from glandular tissue. Leiomyosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcomas are cancers that arise in the tissues surrounding the gland.
• Prognosis is strongly affected by the grade of tumor, and involvement of seminal vesicles is an important prognostic indicator of prostate cancer.