Get the facts behind some common misconceptions.
The truth could save your life.
Learn the Facts About Prostate Cancer
Most people don't think prostate cancer is going to happen to them, unless their father or brother had it.
However, given that about 164,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease in 2018, it's likely that you or someone you know will be affected.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American men, right behind lung cancer.
But while it's a serious disease, and it does take lives, most men don't die from it.
In fact, the ACS says that more than 2.9 million Americans who've been diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive today.
The diagnosis of prostate cancer almost always hits people out of the blue.
It's not what you plan on, and of course it's very disruptive.
For many men, prostate cancer creates a general cognitive dissonance: Why me? What did I do wrong? What am I going to do about it now that my life is being threatened?
When talking about prostate cancer, high emotions often kick in.
What I see all the time, is people overestimating the deadliness of prostate cancer.
There are some pretty bad cancers out there, and i'm not saying prostate cancer can't be bad.
But people don't tend to discriminate about what their prognosis might be compared to someone else with the big C.
There is sort of a sense of impending doom that certain patients may have which may or may not be true.
Hopefully we can help people understand that prostate cancer is not a death sentence for the majority of us.
In the end, most men die with prostate cancer, not of prostate cancer.
One way to clarify things bust the myths and beat prostate cancer he says, is to learn more about what prostate cancer is, how it's treated, and who's at risk for it.
Myth: Prostate Cancer Is for Older Men!
Fact: While it's true that the majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are older, it can strike younger men, too.
About 40 percent of all cases occur in men younger than 65, according to the ACS.
It's not uncommon at all for men in their fifties and some in their forties to have prostate cancer.
The exact age you should start getting regularly screened for prostate cancer is still an area of confusion and debate.
The exception to this is if the disease runs in your family, in which case it's a good idea to start PSA screening earlier, at age 40 or 45.
Myth: My Dad Had Prostate Cancer, So I Will, Too!
Fact: If a man has one relative with prostate cancer, say a father or brother, his chances of getting it are two times higher than someone who doesn't have this history.
Two family members with prostate cancer hike the risk five fold.
But not everyone with a family history of prostate cancer will get it themselves.
Myth: Prostate Cancer Isn't Deadly!
Fact: While the five year survival rate with prostate cancer is very high 90 percent, according to the ACS it's still the second leading cause of cancer death in men.
The only cancer that kills more men is lung cancer.
Most prostate cancers indolent, which means that they grow slowly and can often be actively monitored over the course of many years.
But sometimes prostate cancer is aggressive, and grows quickly.
While most men don't have a prostate cancer that's fast and deadly, acknowledges Sartor, it does exist.
And you won't know which type you have until it's thoroughly checked out.
In other words, assuming prostate cancer isn't serious and not having further testing because of this misconception could be a downright deadly way of approaching the illness.
The dangers and risks of prostate cancer aren't distributed evenly among American men, either.
Myth: If the Cancer Comes Back, It Can't Be Treated Again!
Fact: Recurrence of prostate cancer can be wrenching.
But just because a cancer comes back doesn't mean you can't reach remission again.
What it does mean is that you'll likely have to try another approach to treatment.
