Prostate cancer is a malignancy that develops in the prostate gland. The gland is important for the proper function of the male reproductive tract. Prostate cancer can be either slow growing or extremely aggressive. Prostate tumors that are slow growing cause few symptoms. Aggressive tumors can spread rapidly to other areas of the body such as the lymph nodes, other organs, or to the bone.
Prostate cancer occurs when the growth of cells within the prostate become uncontrolled.
Benign - this type of tumor is not cancerous. The cells from benign tumors normally do not spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumors located in the prostate are usually not life threatening. Malignant - the cells become cancerous when they begin to divide unpredictably and form tumors. As the tumor grows, it uses the oxygen that would normally be used by healthy cells and secretes protein signals that cause the formation of new blood vessels.