Prostate CancerSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small, walnut-shaped structure that makes up part of a man's reproductive system. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body.
Cancer - prostate; Biopsy - prostate; Prostate biopsy; Gleason score
Common conditions include: Familial Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over age 75. Prostate cancer is rarely found in men younger than 40.
People who are at high risk include:
- African American men, who are also more likely to develop this cancer at every age
- Men age 60 years and above
- Men who have a father or brother with prostate cancer
Other people at risk include:
- Men who have been exposed to Agent Orange
- Men who eat a diet high in fat, especially animal fat
- Obese men
Prostate cancer is less common in people who do not eat meat (vegetarians).
A common problem in almost all men as they grow older is an enlarged prostate that affects their urinary function. This is called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. It does not raise your risk for prostate cancer. But, it can increase your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test result.
With early prostate cancer, there are often no symptoms.
The PSA blood test may be done to screen men for prostate cancer. Often, the PSA level rises before there are any symptoms of prostate cancer.
The symptoms listed below can occur with prostate cancer as it grows larger in the prostate. These symptoms can also be caused by other prostate problems:
- Delayed or slowed start of urinary stream
- Dribbling or leakage of urine, most often after urinating
- Slow urinary stream
- Straining when urinating, or not being able to empty all of the urine
- Blood in the urine or semen
When the cancer has spread, there may be bone pain or tenderness, most often in the lower back and pelvic bones.
Treatment depends on many things, including your Gleason score and your overall health. Your health care team members will discuss your treatment options with you.
If the cancer has not spread outside the prostate gland, common treatments include:
- Surgery (radical prostatectomy)
- Radiation therapy, including brachytherapy, external beam therapy, and proton therapy
If you are older, your team may recommend simply monitoring the cancer with PSA tests and biopsies. This is called active surveillance.
Hormone therapy is mainly used for cancer that has spread beyond the prostate. It helps relieve symptoms and prevents further growth and spread of the cancer. But it does not cure the cancer.
If prostate cancer spreads even after hormone therapy, surgery, or radiation has been tried, treatment may include:
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy (medicine to trigger the immune system to attack and kill cancer cells)
Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy can affect your sexual function. Problems with urine control are possible after surgery and radiation therapy. Discuss your concerns with your health care providers.
After treatment for prostate cancer, you will be closely watched to make sure the cancer does not spread. This involves routine checkups, including PSA blood tests (usually every 3 months to 1 year).
Brandon Mahal is a Radiation Oncologist practicing medicine in Miami, Florida. Dr. Mahal is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Prostate Cancer. He is also highly rated in 4 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Prostate Cancer, Familial Prostate Cancer, Anal Cancer, Breast Cancer, and Prostatectomy. Dr. Mahal is currently accepting new patients.
Duke Cancer Center
I specialize in the care of patients with urologic cancers – mainly prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer and testicular cancer. A cancer diagnosis is one of the scariest things that can happen to someone. For many of our patients, they don’t necessarily feel different or look different, but they are scared to death. The most important thing you can get from Duke is real understanding of your particular case and what your options are. Knowledge is so reassuring and empowering for patients, especially those recently diagnosed with cancer. When you’re first diagnosed, you have to put your trust in a care team, and that’s hard to do if you don’t already know them. As the largest cancer center in North Carolina, Duke has great reputation and experience, which helps many patients chose Duke for their care. But we grow and develop our trust with patients because of who we are as people and how much expertise and care we bring to each case. Dr. George is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Prostate Cancer. He is also highly rated in 17 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Prostate Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), Familial Prostate Cancer, Nephrectomy, and Orchiectomy.
Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Center
Dr. Michael A. Carducci is the AEGON Professor in Prostate Cancer Research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He serves as the Vice Chair of Solid Tumor Oncology in the Department of Oncology. Dr. Carducci has an expertise in various types of cancer including prostate, kidney, and testicular. He also has an expertise in clinical trials, pain and palliative care for oncology, urological oncology, urology and medical oncology. A graduate of Georgetown University, Dr. Carducci received his medical degree with high distinction from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine internship, residency and chief residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He went on to complete medical oncology and research fellowships at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was promoted to Professor of Oncology and Urology in 2008 and installed into the inaugural AEGON Professorship in Prostate Cancer Research in 2009. He served as Co-Director of the GU Oncology program until 2013. In 2013, he assumed the leadership role of Associate Director for Clinical Research until being named Vice-Chair of Solid Tumor Oncology in 2024. A fellow of the American College of Physicians and a fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Dr. Carducci has received peer-reviewed funding for his clinical research from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Mentorship of students, fellows, and junior faculty has been another focus of Dr. Carducci’s career in medicine, receiving numerous teaching awards. Dr. Carducci received the Michaele Christian Award and Lectureship for Oncology Drug Development at the National Cancer Institute in 2011. He chaired the Genitourinary Oncology Committee of ECOG-ACRIN from 2011-2024. In this role, he served on the GU Steering Committee for the NCI. Dr. Carducci is a member of the Investigational Drug Steering Committee for the NCI, and chaired that Committee for four years. He served as Associate Editor for GU Cancers for the Journal of Clinical Oncology from 2013-2024. Overall, his clinical research focus is on the development and evaluation of new therapies for urologic cancers. Incorporation of pharmacodynamics, novel biomarkers, and targeted imaging has been key elements of many of the trials led by Dr. Carducci. To complete these studies, Dr. Carducci facilitates and brings together a multidisciplinary team from urologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, biostatisticians, and medical oncologists. Other areas of interest include palliative and end of life care, survivorship, and use of patient reported outcomes in clinical research and care. This provider is registered with the Florida Department of Health to perform telehealth services for patients in Florida. Dr. Carducci is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Prostate Cancer. He is also highly rated in 16 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Prostate Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and Prostatectomy. Dr. Carducci is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine.
You can ease the stress of illness by joining a prostate cancer support group. Sharing with others who have common experiences and problems can help you not feel alone.
How well you do depends on whether the cancer has spread outside the prostate gland and how abnormal the cancer cells are (the Gleason score) when you are diagnosed.
A cure is possible if the cancer has not spread. Hormone treatment can improve survival, even if a cure is not possible.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of PSA screening with your provider.
Talk with your provider about possible ways to lower your risk for prostate cancer. These may include lifestyle measures, such as diet and exercise.
There are no medicines approved by the FDA for preventing prostate cancer.
Summary: Phase I: Characterize safety and tolerability of GVV858 as a single agent and in combination with fulvestrant or letrozole. Identify dose range for optimization/recommended dose for further clinical evaluation. Phase II: Further characterize the safety and tolerability of GVV858 in combination with fulvestrant in patients with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-nega...
Summary: The goal of the study is to evaluate how safe and how well the body handles GSK5458514 when administered in participants with prostate cancer. The study will be conducted in two parts - Part 1 (dose escalation phase) and Part 2 (dose expansion phase).
Published Date: July 01, 2025
Published By: Kelly L. Stratton, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Freedland SJ, Giovannucci E, Gresham G. Epidemiology, etiology, and prevention of prostate cancer. In: Dmochowski RR, Kavoussi LR, Peters CA, et al, eds. Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 153.
National Cancer Institute website. Prostate cancer treatment (PDQ) health professional version. www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/hp/prostate-treatment-pdq. Updated May 14, 2025. Accessed July 2, 2025.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network website. NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology (NCCN guidelines): Prostate cancer. Version 2.2025. www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/prostate.pdf. Updated April 16, 2025. Accessed July 2, 2025.
Nelson WG, Antonarakis ES, Carter B, De Marzo AM, DeWeese TL. Prostate cancer. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 81.
US Preventive Services Task Force; Grossman DC, Curry SJ, et al. Screening for prostate cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2018;319(18):1901-1913. PMID: 29801017 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29801017/.
Wei JT, Barocas D, Carlsson S, et al. Early detection of prostate cancer: AUA/SUO guideline part I: Prostate cancer screening. J Urol. 2023 Jul;210(1):46-53. PMID: 37096582 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37096582/.
Wei JT, Barocas D, Carlsson S, et al. Early detection of prostate cancer: AUA/SUO guideline part II: Considerations for a prostate biopsy. J Urol. 2023 Jul;210(1):54-63. PMID: 37096575 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37096575/.