Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that we often hear about, but ask the average Joe (or Jane), and chances are they know little about it. How much do you know about the disease that claimed more than 32,000 American lives in 2014?

What is the Prostate?

The prostate is a gland found only in men. It is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It contains cells that produce some of the fluid (semen) that protects and nourishes sperm, and the urethra, the tube that carries urine, runs through its center. The size of the prostate varies with age; in younger men, it is the size of a walnut, while, in older men, it is typically much larger.

What is Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate. It is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer, and it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. One man in six will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime, and one man in 36 will die of the disease.

What Causes Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is caused by certain changes in the DNA of a normal prostate cell.DNA makes up our genes, which control how our cells behave.

DNA is inherited from our parents and, as such, a small percentage (about 5 to 10 percent) of prostate cancers are linked to these inherited changes.

Other DNA changes naturally occur during a person’s lifetime.