The prostate is a male sex gland which produces a thick fluid that forms part of the semen. It is about the size of a walnut and is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum.
Causes
The causes of prostate cancer are not fully understood yet, but it appears to be associated with a high fat, high meat, low-vegetable diet.
Men with a strong family history of prostate cancer are at greater risk of developing the disease.
Ethnic origin also seems to play a role. Afro-Caribbean or African-American men are more likely to develop the disease than Asian men, for example.
Prevention approaches
A healthy, low-fat diet seems to help prevent this condition. Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, including plenty of tomatoes, and reduce your consumption of red and processed meat.
Drink alcohol in moderation, no more than three to four units a day. One unit is half a pint of ordinary strength beer or lager OR a glass of wine OR a pub measure of spirit.
Symptoms
In its early stages, prostate cancer often doesn't cause symptoms, but when they do occur, they may include any of the following problems:
- difficulty or delay in urinating
- stopping and starting urinating
- a weak stream of urine
- urinating more often than usual
- pain while urinating
- blood in the urine
- pain or stiffness in the lower back, pelvis and hips
Diagnosis and treatment
If diagnosed early, treatment can be quite successful, therefore it's important to be aware of the symptoms and go to your GP as early as possible.
Your GP will examine you and arrange for any blood tests (a prostate specific antigen or PSA test), x-rays and rectal examinations that may be necessary. If you're referred to a specialist then they may arrange for you to have a biopsy of the prostate and this should indicate whether the tumour is aggressive or not. These results will influence the types of treatment available to you.
Treatment depends on a number of factors, primarily whether the cancer is contained within the prostate (localised) or has spread around the body (advanced). Localised disease, where the cancer is small and contained is generally managed by observation ('watchful waiting'), surgery (radical prostatectomy where the prostate is removed) or radiotherapy.
Advanced disease is where the tumour is large or has spread and is often treated using hormone therapy (reducing the amount of testosterone in the body to slow down or stop the growth of the cancer cells).
This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in May 2005.
First published in October 1997.
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