What do you know about your prostate? Answer these questions:

1. The function of the prostate is to...
   1. produce sperm
   2. store urine
   3. produce fluid in which sperm travel
      
      
2. Early prostate cancer usually causes...
   1. no symptoms
   2. blood in the urine
   3. inability to urinate
      
      
3. The chance of a Canadian man developing prostate cancer in his lifetime is...
   1. 1 in 100
   2. 1 in 50
   3. 1 in 10
      
      
4. Prostate cancer spreads to which of the following...
   1. lymph nodes
   2. bones
   3. both of the above
      
      
5. A definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer is made by...
   1. digital rectal examination
   2. transrectal ultrasound
   3. prostate biopsy

What is the prostate?

The prostate is a small gland about the size of a chestnut. It is found in males only just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra-urinary track. Women do not have a prostate.

The prostate secretes fluid which forms part of the semen in which sperm (produced in the testes) are transported. During sexual activity the fluid and sperm will travel together up the urethra and through the penis when orgasm occurs. This is called ejaculation.

What is prostate cancer?

Like all cancer, prostate cancer occurs when normal body cells grow out of control and form tumors. These tumors are said to be malignant when they travel to other body parts where they invade and destroy normal body tissue. Prostate cancer commonly spreads to the lymph nodes in the lower abdomen and to the bones in the lower back and hips causing severe pain.

In the early stages, prostate cancer does not have any symptoms. As the cancer enlarges it compresses the urethra and thereby interfering with normal urination. Common symptoms now are:

Is this form of cancer common?

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canadian men. One in ten Canadian men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetime. It is serious but may be curable if detected early.

All men should have an annual ORE, a digital rectal examination, especially between the ages of 50 to 70 years old. If there is a history of prostate cancer (father, brother) then a DRE should be done at 40 years of age. If there is a suspicion of prostate cancer a biopsy of tissue will give a definitive diagnosis.

What causes prostate cancer?

Doctors do not know what causes prostate cancer. What is known is that the prostate gland needs the male hormone testosterone for it to develop and so does the cancer. In some cases blocking the production of testosterone has become apart of the treatment plan. Other forms of treatment include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, ingestion of anti androgens and in more severe cases the surgical removal of the prostate gland and/or the testes.

Test answers: 1c, 2a, 3c, 4c, 5c