Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 29, 2006

Photomicrograph of invasive prostate adenocarcinoma

Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Cancer occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. These cells may spread (metastasize) from the prostate to other parts of the body, especially the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer can cause pain, difficulty urinating, erectile dysfunction, and other symptoms. Prostate cancer only occurs in men and develops most frequently in individuals over fifty years old. It is the second most common type of cancer in men; among men, it is responsible for more deaths than any other cancer except lung cancer. Prostate cancer is most often discovered by screening blood tests, such as the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test or by physical examination of the prostate gland by a health care provider. Prostate cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, occasionally chemotherapy, or some combination of these. The age and underlying health of the man as well as the extent of spread, appearance under the microscope, and response of the cancer to initial treatment are important in determining the outcome of the disease. (more...)

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