UNDERSTANDING
PROSTATE CANCER
Since your diagnosis, you may have heard terms you were unfamiliar with or had questions about what prostate cancer is. Here is some basic information you may find useful. Talk to your doctor if you have further questions or to learn more about your type of prostate cancer.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer occurs in the tissue of the prostate, a small gland located below the bladder, and happens when the body cannot control the growth of abnormal prostate cells.
Testosterone is a key hormone involved in prostate cancer growth. Inside prostate cancer cells, testosterone attaches to special proteins called androgen receptors. When this happens, it can trigger processes that cause prostate cancer cells to grow. This is why prostate cancer is often treated with hormone therapy, which includes drug treatments or surgery to lower your testosterone levels.
Prostate cancer may become metastatic, which means the cancer spreads from the place it started to other parts of the body, such as the bones, lungs, liver, or distant lymph nodes.
Over a period of time, prostate cancers may stop responding to hormone therapy, meaning they keep growing even if androgen levels are very low. At that point, they're considered, "castration-resistant."
What are the types of prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer can be categorized by whether or not it has spread beyond the prostate, as well as how it responds to hormone therapy. Hormone therapy includes drug treatments to lower testosterone or surgery.
Types of prostate cancer include:
What are the possible symptoms of prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer symptoms can vary from person to person, with many men experiencing no symptoms at all.
While these symptoms* can be caused by conditions other than prostate cancer, talk to your doctor right away if you experience:
- Frequent urination, especially at night
- A weak or interrupted flow of urine
- Bloody urine or semen
- Pain or burning during urination
- Difficulty achieving an erection
- Painful ejaculation
- Pain in the back, hips, or pelvis that doesn’t go away
*NUBEQA is not approved to treat these symptoms.
How is prostate cancer diagnosed?
Prostate cancer is usually found when it is still in the prostate, but in some cases the cancer is found after it has spread to other parts of the body. Prostate cancer can be detected by healthcare providers in different ways, including:
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests
Your doctor may order this blood test as an early form of detection. A higher PSA level is related to a higher chance of having prostate cancer, among other things. However, no level is definitive, and a high PSA may require further testing.
Digital rectal exams (DREs)
Your doctor may perform this test to screen for prostate cancer. For this test, your doctor would use a gloved, lubricated finger to check for abnormalities in your rectum. It's less reliable than a PSA test, but it may find cancer even if you have a normal PSA level.
Prostate biopsies
If your doctor suspects you have prostate cancer, they may order a biopsy to check for cancerous cells in your prostate. This can be done a number of ways, but it normally involves using a needle to remove tissue cells in the prostate.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
After you receive a prostate cancer diagnosis, your doctor may order this test to determine if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate. In an MRI, you'll lie down in a machine that takes pictures of your prostate and surrounding areas.
Computed tomography (CT) scans
This is another way for your doctor to see if and how your cancer has spread. Like an MRI, you lie down in a machine that takes pictures of your prostate and surrounding areas. However, CT scans and MRI scans take different kinds of pictures, and CT scans are typically much faster than MRI scans. Your doctor may use one or both of these scans during your treatment to monitor your disease.
What are the risk factors for prostate cancer?
The primary risk factor for prostate cancer is age—the older a man is, the greater his risk.
Other risk factors include:
Ethnicity
Increased risk in Black men, which may be due to access to screening and treatment, genetics, and other factors
Family history and genetic factors
Having genes, lifestyle habits, or environmental conditions that are similar to close relatives who have prostate cancer
Lifestyle and diet
Tobacco and alcohol consumption, obesity, and lack of exercise
Occupational exposures
Potential differences in screening practices between the military and general population, and variations in some risk factors, may contribute to higher prostate cancer rates in the military.
You have support from all sides
Find tips, resources, and support groups that may help you on your journey with prostate cancer.
Glossary
Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC): prostate cancer that keeps growing even when the amount of testosterone in the body is reduced to very low levels (ie, no longer responds to hormone therapy)
Computed tomography (CT) scan: a procedure that uses a computer linked to an X-ray machine to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body
Digital rectal exam (DRE): when a doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to feel for abnormalities
Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC): prostate cancer that can be treated with hormone therapy. Also called castration-sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC)
Hormone therapy: drug treatments to lower testosterone or surgery to delay the growth of prostate cancer. Also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)
Localized prostate cancer: cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate. Also called non-metastatic prostate cancer
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): a procedure that uses radio waves, a powerful magnet, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and no longer responds to hormone therapy
Metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC): prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and can be treated with hormone therapy
Non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC): cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate and no longer responds to hormone therapy. Also called non-metastatic prostate cancer
Prostate biopsy: a procedure to remove tissue samples from the prostate
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test: a test that measures the amount of PSA found in the blood. PSA is a protein made by the prostate gland. PSA levels may be higher in men with prostate cancer or other prostate related conditions
