Understanding Prostate Cancer: Causes, Risks, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men after skin cancer. Most men who get prostate cancer don't die from it. More than 90% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer survive for at least five years. If detected early, while the tumor has not spread outside of the prostate, the survival rate is nearly 100% with treatment. Early-stage prostate cancer rarely causes symptoms, symptoms develop after the disease progresses. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal exam (DRE) are common screening methods for prostate cancer. However, whether or not to use these screening techniques is still controversial. Active surveillance is a strategy for managing low-risk prostate cancer without immediate treatment. The idea is to avoid unnecessary side effects by carefully watching how the cancer develops over time.