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Men's Health

What is Prostate Cancer?

Summary & Participants

Prostate cancer is a subject every man should know about -- it's one of the leading causes of cancer death among men. But many don't know what their risk is, let alone what they can do to protect themselves. Are you as informed as you should be? Join our panel of experts for a discussion of the basics of colon cancer.

Medically Reviewed On: July 23, 2008

Webcast Transcript

PAUL MONIZ: I'm Paul Moniz. Thank you for joining us on this webcast. Today we are talking about prostate cancer, a subject every man needs to know about. It is the second leading cause of cancer death among American men, second only to lung cancer. And it does not discriminate.

Here to discuss what prostate cancer is, and how it is diagnosed, are two specialists in the field. To my left we have Doctor Daniel Shasha. He is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which is affiliated with the Beth Israel Medical Center. Thanks for joining us.

DANIEL SHASHA, MD: Thank you.

PAUL MONIZ: Next to him we have Doctor Robert Salant, who is an Associate Professor of Urology at the NYU School of Medicine.

Doctor Salant, let's begin with you. What is the prostate, first, for those in our audience who don't know.

ROBERT SALANT, MD: The prostate is an organ that every man has, that is located just below the urinary bladder. The function of the prostate is to supply some of the fluid material in the ejaculate, which is the semen that supports the sperm. This is required to give the sperm an energy source, as well as a proper environment in which to live until it fertilizes the egg.

When a man turns forty, the prostate begins to grow. When the prostate grows, it can do either of three things: grow and give no symptoms at all; grow and compress the tube called the urethra where the urine flows through, creating symptoms of blockage; or grow and become cancerous.

PAUL MONIZ: So, does it grow in every man? In other words, take me through even a healthy person, a healthy man, thirty; a healthy man, sixty. The sixty-year old is always going to have a larger prostate?

ROBERT SALANT, MD: In general, when a man turns forty the prostate will begin to grow. And it will grow in just about everybody. That does not mean everybody will experience symptoms related to the prostate growth. Here is a model of the prostate with the bladder, the urethra where the urine flows through and the prostate. As a man grows, the prostate expands and not only outwardly, but puts pressure on the tube, called the urethra, causing resistance to the urine flow and symptoms of urinary blockage. This is benign prostate growth.

The prostate may also develop cancer. Cancers, at least at the very early stages, tend not to have any symptoms whatsoever.

PAUL MONIZ: So, for people who are at home experiencing no symptoms, thinking that they probably shouldn't even worry about this, you would say what?

ROBERT SALANT, MD: I would have to tell them that if you're above the age of 40, you need to have your prostate examined at least once a year.

PAUL MONIZ: How common is this? Let's bring Doctor Shasha into this. How common is prostate cancer among men?

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