The prostate cancer happens with major frequency in major men. The prostate keeps on growing during most of the life of a man, so that it is very frequent to present from 60 years an innocuous condition called "expanded" prostate or benign prostate hypertrophy (HPB), much more common than the prostate cancer. Many of the signs and symptoms of the HPB are the same that those of the cancer of prostate.

Since it happens with many early types of cancer, the detection and the treatment increase the healing perspectives. Also, the prostate cancer is a type of cancer that grows slowly. When it develops much at the end of the life, as it is often the case, the aftereffect of the illness can be a minim. In effect, many men with prostate cancer die with the time of causes not related to the cancer itself.

In his most initial stadium, the prostate cancer cannot produce signs or symptoms. As the tumor grows, certain signs or symptoms can be evident, including:

• Make difficult in spite of beginning or stopping urinating
• Make difficult in spite of beginning or stopping urinating
• Limited force of the jet of urine.
• I drip at the end of the micturition.
• Painful micturition or with ardor
• To urinate few quantity every time and often, especially in the night.
• Painful ejaculation
• Blood in the urine
• Incapability to urinate
• Continuous pain in the part goes down the back, in the pelvis, or in the top area of the thighs.

1. Rectal tact. It must be part of the annual physical checkup recommended for the men older than 40 years of age, according to the American Association of the Cancer. By means of the insertion of a finger enguantado in the rectum, the doctor feels the prostate surface across the wall of the intestine. Suspicious masses, abnormal textures or hardnesses will lead to later investigations.

2. Specific prostate antigen (P.S.A., initials in English). It is a protein produced in the prostate that can rise when the cancer is present. The PSA levels can help the doctor in the pursuit of a patient with problems of prostate.

3. Prostate puncture / biopsy. The only way of determining if a suspicious mass is a prostate cancer is to examine microscopically a sample of the taken textile of the area. This sample can be extracted by a needle placed straight in the prostate across the rectum or of the perineum (the space between the scrotum and the year). This procedure is called a puncture - aspiration of thin needle (PAAF) or a biopsy by needle. Also a biopsy can be obtained by means of an operation.

If there exists cancer, several other procedures, including radiographies, tests of laboratory and procedures computarizados of diagnostic radiology will be useful in determining the grade of the illness.

Stage I (A). The prostate cancer in this stage does not feel and does not cause any symptom. The cancer is only in the prostate and is detected of chance form.

Stage II (B). The cancerous cells are in the prostate gland only. The tumor can be detected by means of a biopsy by needle, or by simple rectal tact.

Stage III (C). The cancerous cells have been spread out of the recovering (capsule) of the prostate to the surrounding textiles.

Stage IV (D). Dissemination (for metástasis) to the lymphatic ganglions (it surrounds or far from the prostate) or to the organs and textiles placed far from the prostate - the bones, the liver or the lungs-.

Relapse. The cancer appears again after having being treated. It can reappear in the prostate or in another part of the body.

CLASSIFICATION T.N.M. The prostate cancer also can qualify using T (size of the tumor), N (dissemination grade to the lymphatic ganglions) and M (extension of the dissemination to other parts of the body).

To see information in the linkage: Treatment of the cancer of prostate