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• Highlights
• Introduction
• Prognosis
• Risk Factors
• Symptoms
• Conditions with Similar Symptoms
• Screening and Diagnosis
• Tests to Determine Severity of Cancer
• Staging and Grading
• Treatment Options by Staging and Grading
• Treatment for Localized Prostate Cancer
• Surgery
• Radiation Treatments
• Options if Treatments Fail
• Other Treatments
• Resources
• References

Prostate cancer

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of prostate cancer.

Conditions with Similar Symptoms

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

In up to half of men in their 40s, the prostate begins to enlarge through a process of cell multiplication called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The symptoms of BPH can mirror late-stage prostate cancer because the enlarging inner portion of the prostate puts pressure on the urethra, which can potentially cause urinary problems. About 80% of men eventually develop enlarged prostates, but only some experience significant symptoms. BPH is a normal condition and is not life-threatening. [For more information , see In-Depth Report #71: Benign prostatic hyperplasia.]

Relationship to Prostate Cancer. Because the prostate enlargement in BPH is affected by testosterone, many men are concerned that it may be related to prostate cancer. Fortunately, current evidence indicates that it has no effect one way or the other. The two conditions develop in different parts of the prostate. BPH occurs in the inner zone of the prostate, while cancer tends to develop in the outer area. A 10-year study found no higher risk for prostate cancer in men with BPH.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate, often caused by bacterial infections. Symptoms include urgency, frequency, and pain in urination, sometimes accompanied by fever or blood in the urine.

• Review Date: 7/9/2006
• Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.

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