Prostate Cancer

Cancer of the prostate (a walnut-sized gland located in front of the male rectum, just below the bladder) is not uncommon; researchers typically claim that one in eight American men will develop the disease. The disease's rate of [Page 1108]occurrence is analogous to the rate of breast cancer among women. Prostate cancer usually occurs in older men (i.e., men over the age of 65), many of whom die with the disease, if not from it. The illness can be detected early with the prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) screening test and/or digital rectal exam (DRE) before the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Prostate cancer strikes African American men at a greater rate than it affects other American ethnic groups. The disease's attendant physical ...