The prostate, a walnut-sized gland that surrounds the exit from the bladder, produces the fluid in semen. From the age of 40 onward, this gland displays a tendency to grow larger, causing problems with urination. After age 60, this problem is joined by an increased risk of prostate cancer, which strikes one older man in eight. If the cancer has not yet produced a lump, a high level of PSA may still give it away. Like all cancers, the disease is the result of unrestrained multiplication of cells.
Normal cells divide in a planned way, creating more cells only when needed.
Cancerous cells grow and divide without control or order, often making excess tissue that becomes a tumor. Cancer cells may grow into nearby healthy tissue, or they may break away from the tumor and travel through the blood stream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body, such as the liver, bone, or brain. Prostate cancer is one of the more curable forms of the disease because it tends to grow slowly. Causes Scientists haven't discovered any specific triggers for this disease. However, they do know that it tends to run in families, and that it's more common among African American men.