PROSTATE CANCER

disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells within the prostate gland, a walnut-sized organ surrounding the urethra just below the bladder in males. Worldwide among males, the incidence of prostate cancer is surpassed only by lung and stomach cancers; among North American men, only skin cancer occurs more often. Prostate cancer is rare in men below the age of 50, and in North America the disease is twice as common in black men as it is in whites. Prostate cancer should not be confused with benign prostate hyperplasia, which has similar symptoms and occurs often in older men but is not a type of cancer.