• Prostate Cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men. But if it's found early enough, it can be cured and today there is medical help for potential side effects.
  
  
• Although the causes of prostate cancer are currently unknown, we do know that risk factors include age, family history, race and possibly diet.- There are several conditions, including BPH (a benign [non-cancerous] enlargement of the prostate) and prostatitis (an inflammation of the prostate) that cause some of the same symptoms as prostate cancer (such as urinating more frequently, difficulty urinating, and a weak urine stream). On the other hand, in its earliest stages, prostate cancer may not cause any symptoms at all.
  
  
• The simplest and most common prostate cancer screening tests are not conclusive proof of cancer's presence or absence. If a DRE (digital rectal exam) or a PSA blood test indicate the possibility of prostate problems, further tests may be needed to rule out or diagnose cancer.
  
  
• There's no single "best way" to treat prostate cancer. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, watchful waiting, or a combination of these. For all of them, the side effects of most concern are the possibility of impotence and/or incontinence. Treatment decisions should be made after considering the patient's general health, the grade and stage of his cancer, and whether the benefits of treatment outweigh the possible risks and side effects.
  
  
• Cancers are "graded" and "staged." The grade denotes how aggressive the cancer is, that is, how fast it is likely to grow and spread in the future. The stage indicates how large the cancer is and how much it has already spread. There are several ways to measure both grade and stage, but usually the higher the number, the more aggressive and the larger the cancer.
  
  
• BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) is very common in men over 50 and often starts earlier. Statistics vary, but some say 25% of men over 40 and more than 50% of men over 65 have some BPH symptoms. But of these, as many as half find the symptoms mild enough to not need treatment.
  

 *Quick Facts have been reviewed by Medical Advisors and are current as of October 2005.