The “Today” show’s Al Roker revealed Friday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Roker, who is 66, said he plans to have surgery to remove his prostate.
What is prostate cancer, what are the symptoms and what can be done about it?
Here is a look at the disease and its treatment.
What is the prostate?
The prostate is a gland located between a man’s bladder and his penis. It is located in front of the rectum, and it is about the size of a walnut.
The urethra runs through the prostate.
What does it do?
The prostate secretes a fluid that protects and transports sperm.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is a disease in which cells in the prostate gland become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors.
Does it spread to other parts of the body?
It can spread to any part of the body. When it does spread, it generally spreads to the lymph nodes and the bones, according to the Mayo Clinic.
How many men get this cancer?
There are more than 200,000 cases diagnosed each year in the United States. It is mainly a disease of older men, though it can affect men in their 20s, 30s and 40s also.
What are the symptoms?
Often there are no symptoms early in the disease progression. Some later symptoms include pain in the bones; difficulty with starting and maintaining a steady stream of urine, dribbling of urine, excessive urination at night, frequent urination, urge to urinate and leaking, urinary retention, or weak urinary stream; men can also suffer from erectile dysfunction when they have prostate cancer.
How deadly is it?
It depends on the cancer. Some types of prostate cancer grow slowly, other types are aggressive. Nearly 30,000 Americans will die from prostate cancer each year in the United States.
What are the risk factors for prostate cancer?
The risks associated with a prostate cancer diagnosis include race, age and family history. Behind skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. According to WebMD, “in other parts of the world – notably Asia, Africa, and Latin America – prostate cancer is rare.”
When should men get screened for prostate cancer?
The American Cancer Society suggests that men at higher risk for developing prostate cancer should begin screenings at age 40. Men at average risk for the disease should consider screenings beginning at age 50. African-American men and men who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer are considered high risk.
How are men screened for prostate cancer?
There are two ways – one is a test that looks for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. Men with prostate cancer will have higher levels of the antigen in their blood.
The second way to screen is a doctor’s digital examination of the prostate through the rectum.
What about the outcome?
Prostate cancer in its early stages – before it has spread beyond the prostate – can be and often is cured. The majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are in that category.
Cancer that has spread beyond the prostate is not curable, but treatment can control it for many years. Even men with advanced cases often die of some disease other than prostate cancer.
What are the treatments?
It depends on the stage of the cancer. If it is contained – not spread – watchful waiting is often what is done. Other options for more advanced cancers include surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and biologic therapy – using the body’s immune system to fight the cancer.
Sources: WebMD; Mayo Clinic; Associated Press; American Cancer Society
Cox Media Group
