Prostate Cancer

Men with a family history of Family history means that your father or a brother had The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system.

The prostate makes a fluid that mixes with sperm and other fluids during ejaculation.

A normal prostate is about the size of a walnut.

Your doctor may examine your prostate by putting a gloved, lubricated finger a few inches into your rectum to feel your prostate gland.

This is called a digital rectal exam.

A normal prostate feels firm.

If there are hard spots on the prostate, your doctor may suspect cancer.

A more sensitive test measures prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, a protein manufactured by the prostate gland.

An elevated level indicates an abnormality of the prostate.

An elevated PSA can be due to benign prostatic hypertrophy (an enlarged prostate), which affects nearly all men as they grow old.

It can also signal prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate.

Both conditions may or may not warrant treatment, depending on the severity of symptoms.

Neither probl...

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