Prostate Cancer: 3 Most Common Symptoms to Watch Out For
What is prostate cancer?
Apart from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men who are middle-aged or older. It affects thousands of men each year (191,930 new cases of prostate cancer in 2020, according to the American Cancer Society) and about 6 cases in 10 occur in men aged 65 or older.
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that starts in the prostate gland, located beneath the bladder and surrounding the urethra. When the cells in the prostate gland grow out of control, they form a tumor, which can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, which means it can spread to other areas of the body whereas a benign tumor might become bigger but will not spread.
Types of prostate cancer
The most common type of cancer that develops in the prostate gland is called an adenocarcinoma. Other types include:
- small cell carcinomas
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- transitional cell carcinomas
- sarcomas
Depending on how fast it grows and spreads, there are two types of prostate cancer:
- aggressive
- nonaggressive (symptoms may not exist in this case)
