What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It accounts for 25% of all cancers in the male population. In France, it affects almost 60,000 people every year, and is responsible for around 8,000 deaths. The majority of cases occur in men in their seventies. 

The prostate is a gland positioned around the urethra, the channel through which urine and sperm pass. Its main role is to produce the liquid that mixes with sperm. 

Nearly 90% of prostate cancers arise in the area against the rectum, in the cells that secrete seminal fluid¹. These are known as adenocarcinomas. There are other, much rarer forms of prostate cancer: 

• Transitional cell carcinoma, which most often originates in the bladder and affects the superficial layer of the prostate; 
• Sarcoma, which affects younger men aged 40-50 and targets the muscular parts of the organ; 
• Undifferentiated small-cell tumors, which can cause discomfort and even mental confusion. 

Prostate cancer can also be caused by white blood cell cancer (leukemia, Hodgkin's disease). 

Advanced age is the primary risk factor. Ethnic origin has been identified as a potential marker: cases in Asian, African and South American populations are less frequent. Finally, there's the hereditary factor. Men whose fathers or brothers have carried the disease are, on average, three times more likely to develop it.

Prostate cancer should not be confused with prostate hypertrophy (BPH, or prostate adenoma). This pathology affects over 60% of men over the age of 60, and corresponds to an increase in the volume of the organ.

¹ Source: French National Cancer Institute