The prostate is a chestnut-shaped gland, several centimeters in diameter, found only in men; it is located in front of the rectum, below the bladder, and surrounds the first part of the urethra, the channel that allows urine to flow outward.
Its function is to produce substances that enrich and supplement the composition of sperm, which are necessary for sperm maturation.
Prostate cancer (specifically, prostate adenocarcinoma) is one of the most common cancers in the male sex and develops when certain cells in the gland begin to multiply uncontrollably.
In industrialized countries, it ranks second in incidence after lung cancer and is the leading cause of cancer death among men. In Europe, the neoplasm is more prevalent in the Mediterranean area than in the Nordic countries.
In addition to adenocarcinoma, the prostate may rarely be affected by other cancers such as sarcomas, small cell carcinomas, and transitional cell carcinomas. In contrast, a troublesome prostate enlargement that is very common after age 60-65, but much less of a concern, is benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).
