Only about half of these men have any symptoms due to their prostate. It is not known exactly why the prostate gland enlarges with age, but male hormone plays an important part. A prostate problem is most often diagnosed because of the symptoms that it causes. Your doctor will also do a physical examination and feel your prostate gland. Most men who have a prostate problem do not have cancer.
Cancer does occur in the prostate gland and is more common as men age.
It is important for your doctor to check your prostate gland particularly as you age. The doctor can do a rectal examination to feel whether the prostate gland is enlarged or has lumps or areas that do not feel normal. In addition, there is now a blood test called the PSA or prostate specific antigen test, which measures a substance that increases in the blood when prostate cancer has spread. However, men who have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, such as African-American men and men who have a family history of the disease, are advised to begin yearly prostate exams at age 40. Other tests can be done to measure the urine flow, which can help the doctor decide how much the prostate is blocking the urine stream.