Prostate Cancer Basics
PSA testing is currently a mans best defense against dying of potentially lethal prostate cancer and against developing metastatic prostate cancer. Individuals have a fundamental right to choose whether or not to know if they have prostate cancer, prior to becoming symptomatic.
Feel free to download Prostate Cancer Laminate at our home page “Prostate Cancer:Informed Decision Making for Men 40 and over” and Prostate Cancer: Informed Decision Making for Primary Care Physicians”. Also there is a link below to MN’s Mayo Clinic site of PSA testing
What is Prostate Cancer?
“Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man’s reproductive system. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body.” (Pub Med)
Prostate Cancer Statistics
Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. The American Cancer Society’s estimates for prostate cancer in the United States for 2023 are:
- About 288,300 new cases of prostate cancer
- About 34,700 deaths from prostate cancer
The number of prostate cancers diagnosed each year declined sharply from 2007 to 2014, coinciding with fewer men being screened because of changes in screening recommendations. Since 2014, however, the incidence rate has increased by 3% per year overall and by about 5% per year for advanced-stage prostate cancer.
About 1 man in 8 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.
Prostate cancer is more likely to develop in older men and in non-Hispanic Black men. About 6 cases in 10 are diagnosed in men who are 65 or older, and it is rare in men under 40. The average age of men when they are first diagnosed is about 66.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. About 1 man in 41 will die of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 3.1 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
The prostate cancer death rate declined by about half from 1993 to 2013, most likely due to earlier detection and advances in treatment. Since then, however, the pace of decline has slowed, likely reflecting the rise in cancers being found at an advanced stage.
For statistics related to survival, see Survival Rates for Prostate Cancer.
Prostate Disease Signs and Symptoms
- Urinating more frequently
- Excessive urination during the night (nocturia)
- Difficulty starting to urinate
- Decreased force in urine stream
- Interrupted flow of urine
- Dribbling after finishing urination
- Feeling your bladder isn’t empty, even after urination
- Urgent need to urinate
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Pain or burning sensation while urinating (dysuria)
- Painful ejaculation
- Tenderness or pain in the pelvis
- Persistent back or hip pain
- Pain or swelling in the testicles
Contact Us
Mailing Address
Minnesota Prostate Cancer Coalition
P.O. Box 43211
Minneapolis, MN. 55443-0211
Jon Sellers
President
(612) 839-6209
Email
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