Prostate Facts
and Cancer
Symptoms

About the Prostate

The prostate is located behind the pubic bones in a man’s pelvis and is sandwiched between the bladder on top and the rectum underneath. A normal-sized prostate is about the size of a walnut. Similar to a shell around an egg, a capsule covers and contains the prostate except at the apex (bottom). The urethra, a tube that runs through the middle of the prostate and out of the penis, empties urine out of the bladder. Very small tubes, called ejaculatory ducts, run from each testicle into the prostate and empty into the urethra in the middle of the gland.

About two-thirds of the prostate are normal prostate cells, and the remaining part is the urethra, muscles that act like valves to prevent leakage of urination, fibrous tissue that holds the prostate together, blood vessels and ejaculatory ducts. The purpose of normal prostate cells is to produce seminal fluid, which when mixed with sperm from the testicles is called semen – the white-colored fluid visible upon ejaculation. Prostate cells also secrete various proteins into the blood stream, one of which is called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)

Your best defense against prostate cancer is the PSA test which can lead to early detection, a critical part of being successfully treated. Recommendations for initiating testing for elevations or changes in PSA vary based on age, history and ethnicity. Current recommendations to start PSA testing include:

• All Men over the age of 50
• African American men 45 years old, or older
• Men with a family history of prostate cancer at age 40

A rising PSA may be a sign of prostate cancer; however, a rising PSA may also be caused by Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), an enlarged prostate.

Prostate Cancer Symptoms

Prostate cancer rarely causes any urine symptoms, such as a weak, slow stream. The urinary symptoms are normally caused from compression (squeezing) of the urethra due to an enlarged prostate, called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). The first sign or symptom of prostate cancer (other than an elevated PSA or positive digital rectal exam) is usually bone pain from cancer cells that have spread to bone, and then you are not curable.

If you have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, it’s critical to personally research prostate cancer treatment options to make an informed decision that is best for you and your family. And, with few exceptions, your first treatment method gives you the best chance for success.