Perhaps you are a young adult male whose father just received a call from his doctor, a call to inform him that he has prostate cancer. If that is the case, you may need to have an answer for anyone who now asks, "What is prostate cancer?" That question might come from a son or daughter, from a wife, from your mother or from your in-laws. Any of them might, upon learning about your father's health problems, ask, "What is prostate cancer?"
Prostate cancer is uncontrolled growth of the prostate gland. Prostate cancer differs from benign prostate enlargement in that it can over time lead to uncontained growth. This growth causes the prostate cells to grow outside of the capsule in which the prostate gland rests. If the cancerous prostate cells grow outside of that capsule, then they can get into the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body. If that would happen, then the man with prostate cancer would need to search for more than just an answer to "What is prostate cancer?" He would need to face the consequences of developing cancer at a site outside of the prostate.
If a prostate cancer grew outside of the capsule holding the prostate gland, and if cancer cells got into the bloodstream, then the cancer was said to have metastasized. Early detection of prostate was aimed at preventing that occurrence. The number of tools for the detection of prostate cancer has expanded. About 15 years ago the only way to detect prostate cancer was by a digital rectal inspection (DRE). At that time not many men wanted a DRE, and therefore not enough men felt inclined to ask their doctors, "What is prostate cancer?"
In the 1990s the physicians who were treating men aged 50 or older began to order a PSA test for their patients. The PSA test measured the level of Prostate specific antigen in the blood stream. PSA had been shown to be a protein produced by prostate cancer cells. High levels of PSA were not proof that a man had cancer, but they served as an indication that a biopsy of the prostate should be scheduled.
As more and more men received the results of a PSA test, more and more men began to see the importance of learning the answer to the question, "What is prostate cancer?"
In addition more and more men began to take an interest in the prevention of prostate cancer. This interest in the prevention of prostate cancer then led to the emergence of special over-the-counter supplements that were supposed to help fight prostate cancer.
Recent information on the Website www.prostatecancer.men4health.com indicates that selenium is an important cancer-fighting mineral. A study of the ability of selenium to fight cancer yields more answers to the question, "What is prostate cancer?" Apparently selenium activates certain enzymes, and those enzymes are able to hold-off the development of prostate cancer.
Obtaining an adequate daily dose of selenium does not require that a man take a pill with a supplement. A man can get his needed 60 micro grams of selenium per day by eating eggs, liver, wheat germ and chicken.