Prostate cancer is the second leading cancer killer of American men, exceeded only by lung cancer.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland found only in the male reproductive system. Located under the bladder, the prostate surrounds the top part of the urethra, a tube that carries urine and semen out through the penis. Prostate cancer develops from the cells of this gland. Approximately 31,500 men will die from the disease in the year 2001 and more than 198,100 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed. African American men have the highest prostate cancer incidence rates in the world and will account for the highest proportion of new cases.