Gilbert L. Ross, M.D. American Council on Science and Health Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American men. Each day about 500 men are diagnosed with this disease. And at about 40,000 annual deaths, it is the second deadliest disease in the United States, behind lung cancer.
Prostate cancer is in some ways the male version of breast cancer.
It's not easily preventable, and early detection may be the key to survival. But controversy has arisen over the value of early detection. But rectal exams are thought to be uncomfortable or embarrassing, and so in many cases are not done routinely. Also, the DRE sometimes doesn't catch cancer until after it has spread, at which point it may be too late to cure. PSA is usually elevated in men with prostate cancer, but can also be elevated, usually to a lesser degree, in men with benign prostate enlargement.