September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

join with the aacr to HELP find better ways to prevent and treat prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) diagnosed in men in the United States. Furthermore, it’s the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, after lung cancer, in the United States.

The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It’s about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland produces fluid that makes up part of semen. 

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. These cancers begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Prostate cancer often has no early symptoms. In addition, advanced prostate cancer can cause men to urinate more often or have a weaker flow of urine. But these symptoms can also result from benign prostate conditions.

screening and incidence

Screening options for prostate cancer, which include a digital rectal exam and a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), often catch the disease before it spreads. As a result, the five-year survival rate is 97.5%.

The NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program estimates that more than 299,010 men in the United States will receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2024. Furthermore, NCI projects that 35,250 men will die of the disease.

According to SEER, prostate cancer is more common in older men, men with a family history of prostate cancer, and in men of African American descent. Other risk factors for prostate cancer include certain hormones, vitamin E, folic acid, and a high intake of dairy and calcium. In the United States, about 12.8% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetimes. 

African-American men have the highest death rate for prostate cancer of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. Statistics show that in 2018-2022, Black men were twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as white men. Scientists believe the disparity stems from both genetic and socioeconomic factors.

one man’s story

For Brian Jones, a diagnosis of prostate cancer was a wake-up call that he should get serious about his health after years of neglecting his body. Read his story in AACR’s magazine Cancer Today: Being Proactive About Prostate Cancer.

More on prostate cancer

  • At the AACR Annual Meeting 2024, Mallorie C. Jones, MA, University of Pennsylvania, presented research on myths about prostate cancer in Black communities and how to dispel them. To learn more, read the blog post on AACR’s official blog, Cancer Research Catalyst.

What the AACR IS Doing in Prostate Cancer Research

In March 2023, the AACR held a Special Conference: Advances in Prostate Cancer Research in Denver, Colorado. This meeting brought together experts from around the world to hear and discuss the latest findings on important topics. These included mechanisms of disease progression, genomic heterogeneity, epigenomic mechanisms, tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy, detection, and diagnosis of prostate cancer.

for more information

Please see our page on prostate cancer for more information about prevention, screening, and treatment.