What is Prostate Cancer, and why should I care?

Your prostate is roughly the size (and shape) of a walnut. It surrounds your urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis) and contains cells that support the development of sperm. Most often, prostate cancer is very slow to develop, and many men who have it will go their entire lives without being aware of it. According to the American Cancer Society, one in six men will get prostate cancer (and one in 36 will die from it)—the second most-common form of cancer in men, after skin cancer. Fortunately, mortality rates are decreasing, primarily thanks to earlier detection.

While the causes of prostate cancer are still up for debate, there are a number of risk factors that you should be aware of. The leading risk factors for increasing your chances of getting prostate cancer include age, race, family history and diet. In future posts, we’ll examine each of these in more depth and examine prevention and testing.