September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men, according to the American Cancer Society.
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The American Cancer Society’s estimates for prostate cancer in the United States for 2022 are:
- About 268,490 new cases of prostate cancer
- About 34,500 deaths from prostate cancer
Most prostate cancers are found early, through screening, according to the American Cancer Society. Though early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms, prostate cancers can sometimes cause symptoms like:
- Problems urinating, including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often, especially at night
- Blood in the urine or semen
- Erectile dysfunction
- Pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones
- Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord
Older men, Black men, and men who have a family history of prostate cancer are at greater risk for prostate cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC put together this list of questions you can ask your doctor about prostate cancer screening.
More resources:
- Prostate cancer risk factors (American Cancer Society)
- Should I get screened for prostate cancer? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Understanding prostate changes: A health guide for men (National Cancer Institute)
- What causes prostate cancer? (American Cancer Society)
- Prostate cancer treatment options (American Cancer Society)
For more information about prostate cancer and treatment options visit cancer.org/cancer/prostate or call the American Cancer Society’s cancer hotline at (800) 227-2345.
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