September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2025, there will be an estimated 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the US and 35,770 men will die from the disease this year.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men after Skin Cancer. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the leading site of new cancers diagnosed and the number two cause of death for males. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland produces fluid that makes up part of semen. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas (cancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids).

Prostate cancer often has no early symptoms. Advanced prostate cancer can cause men to urinate more often or have a weaker flow of urine, but these symptoms can also be caused by benign prostate conditions.

Because of effective screening options for prostate cancer, the disease is often caught before it spreads, and as a whole, survival rates are good for this type of cancer.