It is still unknown what really causes prostate cancer but several risk factors have been discovered like family history, race, age or high fat diet.

Having a screening examination at fixed intervals is important to detect prostate cancer early. Looking for symptoms yourself is not enough because you can not detect the cancer early enough. Once you have prostate cancer symptoms already, it is (too) late already.

Once you detect a change in your urine flow like interrupted flow or the desire to urinate very often then you could suffer from the symptoms of prostate cancer already. Other symptoms are blood in the urine or a pain in the hips and thighs.

Prostate cancer can be cured but it is vital to detect the cancer in a very early stage. Once the cancer spreads it is getting more and more difficult to get rid of it. If treatment starts early, prognosis is very good.

Part of the diagnosis is a rectal examination by your doctor. He puts his finger in your rectum to find anything strange with your prostate gland. If he finds something then a blood test will be the next step. The doctor will want to check for PSA, a prostate specific antigen in the blood stream. If the concentration of PSA is very high, it is a strong sign of cancer.

A trans rectal ultrasound examination is another option. This painless method gives a good picture of the gland within 20 minutes.

A biopsy is needed once the above tests indicate the occurrence of cancer. That means that the doctor must take a small sample of the tissue by using a needle. The sample is then checked under a microscope and if the sample is cancerous it is an exact diagnosis. The biopsy itself is a quick and rather painless method to diagnose prostate cancer.

Once the cancer is detected, the doctor must find out how much it has spread already. An x-ray can show if the cancer has reached the lungs already. A computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging can also make internal organs visible.

Once prostate cancer is diagnosed the treatment must start immediately. There are several different treatment options but still the surgery is the most effective way to totally remove the cancer. The treatment will need a team of doctors, an urologist, a surgeon and an oncologist. The surgery is not without risks and side effects so that some prefer alternative ways.

If treatment has started early enough then the prognosis is good. It is possible that the cancer could be completely removed. Statistics say that after five years more than 95% of men are still alive. The prognosis goes down significantly below 30% survival rate if the cancer was detected late.