The prostate is about the size of a walnut. It is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Except for skin cancer, cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy in American men. It is estimated that in 1999 in the United States nearly 179,300 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the majority of men with prostate cancer, it is very slow growing, and many, if not most, of these men will not die because of the prostate cancer, but rather will live with it until they eventually die of some other cause.
All men are at risk.
The most common risk factor is age. More than 75 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year are over the age of 65. African American men have a higher risk of prostate cancer than white Americans. Dramatic differences in the incidence of prostate cancer are seen in different countries, and there is some evidence that a diet higher in animal fat may, in part, underlie these differences in risk. Genetic factors also appear to play a role, particularly for families in whom the diagnosis is made in men under 60 years of age.