• Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the world
• In 2004, according to the American Cancer Society, approximately 230,110 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed and 29,000 men died of the disease
• Prostate Cancer is amongst the leading cause of cancer deaths in men

• The prostate is a male sex gland located underneath the bladder. It is about the size of a walnut and fits around the tube which carries urine from the bladder
• Prostate cancer differs from most other cancers in the body, because small areas of cancer within the prostate are very common and may stay dormant for many years

• The two most common tests used by physicians to detect prostate cancer are the Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) and the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test
• The DRE test consists of a clinical exam where the specialized doctor checks if the prostate gland is abnormal
• The PSA is a blood test that measures the ‘prostate specific antigen’, an enzyme produced only by the prostate

• Prostate cancer is amongst the leading causes of cancer deaths in men
• The risk of developing prostate cancer begins to increase at age 50 in men who have no family history of the disease, and at age 40 in men who have a first-degree relative with prostate cancer
• Risk increases with age; however unlike other cancers, prostate cancer has no “peak” age
• True hereditary prostate cancer occurs in a very small number of men and tends to develop at younger ages

The American Cancer Society and the American Urological Association recommend annual prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests, along with a digital rectal exam (DRE) for all men over 50 and beginning at age 40 for high-risk men. If prostate cancer is detected early, treatment can be more effective and have minimal mortality