Prostate Cancer Awareness – What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect Canadian men. One in eight men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.

Prostate cancer is a disease where some prostate cells have lost normal control of growth and division. They no longer function as healthy cells.

A cancerous prostate cell has the following features:
• Uncontrolled growth
• Abnormal structure
• The ability to move to other parts of the body (invasiveness).

It is important to note that not all clusters of cells growing in a mass are cancerous and that a prostate with an irregular shape is not necessarily cancerous. It is advisable to talk with your doctor.

Prostate cancer can be slow-growing and some men who develop prostate cancer may live many years without ever having cancer detected. It’s important to talk to your doctor about screening so that if you do develop prostate cancer, the appropriate action can be taken. A significant proportion of prostate cancers, if untreated, may have serious consequences.

Information from Prostate Cancer Canada: http://www.prostatecancer.ca/Prostate-Cancer/About-Prostate-Cancer