Prostate cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer in American men. More than 230,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. About 80 percent of men who reach age 80 have prostate cancer.

In most men, the cancer grows very slowly. Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself, and the majority of patients with this type of cancer can live for years without any problems.