Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Just over 13,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Australia each year. A cancer is a group of cells that have mutated to grow rapidly and form a cluster of cells that can invade and impair the function of the surrounding or distant tissues and organs. Prostate cancer is considered at glandular cancer, beginning when normal semen-secreting prostate gland cells mutate into cancerous cells. Initially, the cancer cells are confined to the capsule of the prostate gland. However, as the disease spreads, the cancerous cells spread to the surrounding tissue and beyond, often via the bloodstream or lymphatic system.

Prostate cancer is usually a slow-growing cancer, and in fact many men do not even know they have prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is most common in men over 65 years of age, however it can occur in men as young as 45 years of age. This tends to be a more aggressive form of the disease. The specific cause of the prostate cancer remains largely unknown, but it appears to have both environmental and genetic origins. A man’s risk of developing prostate cancer is related to his age, family-history of the disease, ethnicity, diet, lifestyle and medications.

Early detection is the key to enabling better outcomes and potential cure of prostate cancer. Current detection methods for prostate cancer include a digital rectal examination and a blood test called a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. It is recommended that if you are over the age of 50 (or over 40 if you have a family history of the disease), you should ask your doctor for these tests as part of your annual check up, or if any symptoms develop.