How Does Prostate Cancer Develop?

Adenocarcinomas

Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer (after skin cancer) in American men. It is located in the prostate, found only in men. The prostate rests just below the bladder and contains cells that create seminal fluids.

Prostate cancer develops from the gland cells. Although other types of cells are located in the prostate, cancer arising from those cells is extremely rare, comprising less than one percent of all prostate cancer cases. No one knows why the gland cells become cancerous (multiplying out of control) while the other cells do not. Cancers that develop from gland cells are called Adenocarcinomas.

Spreading Through the Body

Prostate cancer develops slowly. The cancerous cells can remain localized in the prostate for many years, even decades. Eventually, however, if the cancer is not treated, it will spread beyond the prostate, affecting nearby tissues and organs such as the rectum and bladder.

The cancer cells may even spread further. Most commonly, prostate cancer spreads to the pelvic lymph nodes, where the cancerous cells can grow and multiply quickly. In fact, if they do reach the lymph nodes, they are very likely to quickly spread to other locations in the body, especially the bones. In such cases, the chances of dying from prostate cancer are greatly increased.

Pre-cancerous Conditions

Many doctors believe that minute changes in prostate gland cells can signify an increased risk for developing prostate cancer. This is called prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). In fact, almost half of all men show signs of PIN by the time they reach the age of 50. PIN is diagnosed by looking at prostate gland cells under a microscope. Men with PIN show cells that look slightly abnormal, but not cancerous. The more abnormal the cells look, the greater chance of developing cancer, although the most abnormal cells only signify a 20% greater chance of developing prostate cancer than a man with normal-looking cells.

Resources

• More about prostate cancer from the Prostate Cancer Foundation.