Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancers, almost all of which are adenocarcinomas, start in the glandular tissue of the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Prostate cancer is usually a slow growing disease.

• In 2008 an estimated 24,700 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 4,300 will die of it. Prostate cancer accounts for about 11% of all cancer deaths in men.
• 1 in 7 men is expected to develop prostate cancer during his lifetime, mostly after age 60 years. 1 in 27 men will die of prostate cancer.
• In 2004 there were approximately 127,200 men living with or surviving from prostate cancer in Canada. That means that 1 in 125 Canadian men was diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during the previous 15 years.

• What should I know about prostate cancer?

Risk Factors

There is no single cause of prostate cancer, but some factors increase the risk of developing it:

• Age: particularly after 60 years of age when over 80% of cases occur. Prostate cancer is uncommon in men under 50.
• Family history of prostate cancer.
• Being of African descent.

Other possible risk factors under examination include:

• Obesity.
• Diet high in fat.
• Physical inactivity.
• Working with cadmium, a metal that is produced as a by-product from the extraction, smelting and refining of the nonferrous metals zinc, lead and copper.

• What can I do to reduce my risk of cancer?
• How should I eat to reduce my risk of cancer?
• Can being physically active lower my risk of cancer?

Managing Prostate Cancer

• How is cancer treated?
• How can I cope with cancer?
• How can I help someone coping with cancer?

Facts & Figures

• Prostate Cancer Facts and Figures
• Cancer Surveillance On-Line
• Chronic Disease Infobase
• Economic Burden of Illness

Knowledge Development and Exchange

• Cancer Publications
• Prostate Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Canadian Best Practices Portal
• Chronic Diseases in Canada (CDIC)

Links

• Prostate Cancer Links