Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Cancer occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. These cells may spread (metastasize) from the prostate to other parts of the body, especially the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer can cause pain, difficulty urinating, erectile dysfunction, and other symptoms. Prostate cancer only occurs in men and develops most frequently in individuals over fifty years old. It is the second most common type of cancer in men and is responsible for more deaths than any cancer except for lung cancer. Prostate cancer is most often discovered by screening blood tests, such as the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test or by physical examination of the prostate gland by a health care provider. Prostate cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, occasionally chemotherapy, or some combination of these. The age and underlying health of the man as well as the extent of spread, appearance under the microscope, and response of the cancer to initial treatment are important in determining the outcome of the disease.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate_cancer

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1845: The Raven, a narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe, was first published in the New York Evening Mirror. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raven)

1856: The Victoria Cross was first awarded, recognizing acts of valour during the Crimean War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross)

1886: Karl Benz received a patent for the first successful gasoline-driven automobile. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Benz)

1959: The Disney animated film Sleeping Beauty was first released. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty_%281959_film%29)

2002: In his State of the Union Address, U.S. President George W. Bush described Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/axis_of_evil)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring — it was peace." -- Milan Kundera (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Milan_Kundera)