Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in

the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing;
[1]
however, there are
cases of aggressive prostate cancers.
[2]
The cancer cells may metastasize (spread) from the
prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may
initially cause no symptoms, but in later stages can cause pain, difficulty in urinating, problems
during sexual intercourse, erectile dysfunction, and death. Other symptoms can potentially
develop during later stages of the disease.
Rates of detection of prostate cancers vary widely across the world, with South and East Asia
detecting less frequently than in Europe, and especially the United States.
[3]
Prostate cancer
tends to develop in men over the age of fifty.
[4]
Globally it is the sixth leading cause of cancer-
related death in men
[5]
(it is now the first in the UK and second in the United States).
[4]
Prostate
cancer is most common in the developed world with increasing rates in the developing
world.
[5]
However, many men with prostate cancer never have symptoms, undergo no therapy,
and eventually die of other unrelated causes. Many factors, including genetics and diet, have
been implicated in the development of prostate cancer. Recently the prevalence of light pollution
has been implicated in the development of prostate cancer.
[6]

The presence of prostate cancer may be indicated by symptoms, physical examination, prostate-
specific antigen (PSA), or biopsy. Prostate-specific antigen testing increases cancer detection
but does not decrease mortality.
[7]
The United States Preventive Services Task Force in 2012
recommended against screening for prostate cancer using the PSA testing, due to the risk of
over-diagnosis and over-treatment with most prostate cancer remaining asymptomatic.
[8]
The
USPSTF concludes that the potential benefit of testing does not outweigh the expected harms.
[8]

Management strategies for prostate cancer should be guided by the severity of the disease.
Many low-risk tumors can be safely followed with active surveillance. Curative treatment
generally involves surgery, various forms of radiation therapy, proton therapy or, less
commonly, cryosurgery; hormonal therapy and chemotherapy are generally reserved for cases of
advanced disease (although hormonal therapy may be given with radiation in some cases).
Several studies suggest that masturbation reduces the risk of prostate cancer, but the results are
controversial