September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
join with the aacr to HELP find better ways to prevent and treat prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) diagnosed in men in the United States. Furthermore, it’s the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, after lung cancer, in the United States.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It’s 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. These cancers begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Prostate cancer often has no early symptoms. While advanced prostate cancer can cause men to urinate more often or have a weaker flow of urine, these symptoms can also result from benign prostate conditions.
screening and incidence
Screening options for prostate cancer, which include a digital rectal exam and a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), often catch the disease before it spreads. As a result, the five-year survival rate is 97.9%.
The NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program estimated that 313,780 men in the United States would receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2025. Furthermore, the NCI projected that 35,770 men would die of the disease.
According to SEER, prostate cancer is more common in older men, men with a family history of prostate cancer, and in men of African American descent. Other risk factors for prostate cancer include certain hormones, vitamin E, folic acid, and a high intake of dairy and calcium. In the United States, about 12.9% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetimes.
Black men have the highest death rate for prostate cancer of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. Statistics show that in 2018-2022, Black men were about twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as white men. Scientists believe the disparity stems from both genetic and socioeconomic factors.
one man’s story
For Brian Jones, a diagnosis of prostate cancer was a wake-up call that he should get serious about his health after years of neglecting his body. Read his story in the AACR’s magazine Cancer Today: Being Proactive About Prostate Cancer.
More on prostate cancer
- The FDA approved the injectable targeted radiotherapy lutetium Lu-177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Pluvicto) to treat certain people with metastatic prostate cancer in 2022. Cancer Today looked at what this treatment option has meant to patients since its approval and how researchers are exploring new ways to deliver similar types of therapy.
- Clinicians calculate what is known as a Gleason score to help determine the aggressiveness of a prostate tumor. Cancer Research Catalyst, the AACR’s official blog, offered an explainer for how a Gleason score is calculated, what the score means, and how it may influence treatment decisions.
- Cancer Today reports on a study that found the at-home ProstateScore 2.0 urine test helped prevent unnecessary and repeat biopsies without the need for a digital rectal exam in men with prostate cancer.
- Michael A. Nutter, the former mayor of Philadelphia, is a prostate cancer survivor who was recognized with a humanitarian award for his advocacy work and years of dedication to bettering the city. Cancer Research Catalyst interviewed him about his achievements and message for other men with prostate cancer.
- At the AACR Annual Meeting 2024, Mallorie C. Jones, MA, of the University of Pennsylvania, presented research on myths about prostate cancer in Black communities and how to dispel them. To learn more, read the post on Cancer Research Catalyst.
What the AACR IS Doing in Prostate Cancer Research
From January 20-22, 2026, the AACR will hold the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Innovations in Prostate Cancer Research and Treatment in Boston. This conference will bring together leading experts to explore the latest advances in prostate cancer research, from basic biology to clinical applications, including key developments in androgen receptor biology, treatment resistance mechanisms, and novel therapeutics.
for more information
Please see the page on prostate cancer for more information about prevention, screening, and treatment.
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