You may be reading this because you or someone you care about learned they have prostate cancer. Or maybe you’re curious about your risk of getting prostate cancer.
It’s important to get to know the signs of prostate cancer. It’s best if we can catch it early, when it may be easier to treat. But at MSK, we have treatment options for prostate cancer at every stage.
This guide is a good place to learn about what causes prostate cancer and prostate cancer prevention. You can also learn about the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer.
This information can help you get ready to talk with your healthcare provider and understand your next steps.
Prostate cancer happens when cells in your prostate grow out of control and form a mass called a tumor.
Research shows your age, your family history, and your race are some things that may raise your chances of getting prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers for people over the age of 50.
Anyone with a prostate can get prostate cancer. This includes people of all genders who were assigned male at birth, including transgender women. If you’re a transgender woman who had gender-affirming surgery, you probably still have a prostate gland. Talk with your healthcare provider about whether prostate cancer screening is right for you.
Screening tests can help find prostate cancer early, when it may be easier to treat. MSK’s prostate cancer screening guidelines can help you know at what age to think about getting tested.
Some prostate cancers grow very slowly. MSK experts can treat these cancers with our Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance Program. Surveillance (ser-VAY-lents) means monitoring or watchful waiting.
Your chances of getting prostate cancer may be higher because of your age, family history, or race. Prostate cancer is more common when you’re over the age of 50.
Prostate cancer often grows slowly, and many people do not notice any prostate cancer symptoms. Often, the first sign of prostate cancer is found during a routine screening test.
A common sign of prostate cancer is a higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test result. Your doctor may suggest other tests, such as a biopsy to show if there is cancer.
Prostate cancer treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, focal therapy, hormone therapy, theranostics, targeted therapies, chemo, and immunotherapy. Some people may not need treatment right away.
MSK is ranked #1 in the nation for Urology Cancer Care by U.S. News & World Report, 2023 to 2025. MSK also ranks among the nation’s top 2 cancer hospitals. When you come to MSK for prostate cancer care, you’re at a cancer center known for excellent treatment results.
Where is your prostate? Knowing your prostate’s anatomy can help you better understand where prostate cancer starts. Anatomy (uh-NA-toh-mee) means the parts of a structure, such as a prostate.
Your prostate is a small, firm gland about the size of a walnut.
The prostate sits just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body. That’s why prostate disease can affect how well your penis works and how you urinate (pee).
The prostate is part of the male reproductive system and plays an important role in your sexual health. The prostate works with other glands to make semen, called the seminal vesicles. They're the 2 other glands attached to the prostate.
Your prostate has parts that sometimes are called lobes:
The prostate gland, as well as the bladder, seminal vesicle, rectum, testicle, and scrotum.
Your prostate gland is made of 2 main types of tissue:
These tissues make up the prostate and support its shape and how it works.
A prostate tumor may form when cells in these tissues do not grow in a normal way. Prostate cancer starts when cells inside the prostate grow out of control.
Prostate cancer screening means getting routine tests to find prostate cancer, even before you have any signs or symptoms. The goal of regular screening is to find cancer early, when it may be easier to treat.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers. More people are getting screened, and there are good tests that look for prostate cancer.
MSK experts have prostate cancer screening guidelines that explain when and how often to get tested.
If a test finds signs of prostate cancer, MSK experts will talk with you about treatment options. Some prostate cancers grow very slowly and often will not cause a problem. We may recommend active surveillance (monitoring) for prostate cancer that grows slowly. Active surveillance is not the same as having no treatment.
Other prostate cancer can grow and spread fast, and need treatment right away.
The most common type of prostate cancer screening is a simple blood test that measures prostate-specific antigens (PSA).
There are 2 common screening tests and exams to find signs of prostate cancer. The most common type of screening is a simple blood test called the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
Learn more about PSA testing and other tests that look for prostate cancer.
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test. This blood test measures how much PSA is in your blood. PSA is a protein made by cells in your prostate. Both normal and cancer cells make PSA.
It’s normal to have a low level of PSA. A high or rising PSA level may be a sign of prostate cancer. It also can be caused by other things, including age, an enlarged (very big) prostate, or a urinary tract infection.
Digital rectal exam (DRE). During this exam, your doctor will put a gloved finger into your rectum to feel your prostate. Your doctor is checking for changes, such as swelling, hardness, bumps, or areas that do not feel normal. These changes can be a sign of prostate cancer.
If you have an abnormal (not normal) PSA test result, your doctor may recommend repeating the PSA test. They may also talk with you about getting other tests to rule out prostate cancer.
Based on the test results, your care team will give you a follow-up care plan. It will explain when you should get your next prostate cancer screening. This schedule is based on:
Talk with your healthcare provider about when to start prostate cancer screening, based on your personal risk factors.
If you decide to have prostate cancer screening, MSK recommends you follow our prostate cancer screening guidelines.
MSK's guidelines may be different from those of other groups of experts. Our guidelines are made and reviewed by our prostate cancer experts. At MSK, we adjust your screening tests and schedules to your risk for prostate cancer.
These guidelines are for people at average risk who are expected to live another 10 years or longer.
PSA is measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).
Talk with your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of having a baseline PSA. Your baseline test shows your normal PSA level.
If you choose to get a test and your PSA level is:
Consider having your PSA level checked. Talk with your healthcare provider about getting screened. If you choose to get a test and your PSA level is:
Consider having your PSA level checked. Talk with your healthcare provider about getting screened and your risk factors. If you choose to get a test and your PSA level is:
Talk with your healthcare provider about whether to have a PSA test, based on past PSA levels and your health. You should only keep testing PSA if it’s high (above 3 ng/mL) and your health is good.
Talk with your healthcare provider about whether to have a PSA test, based on past PSA levels and your health. In this age group, it’s very rare that a PSA test is helpful.
Get cancer screenings in Manhattan at the Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers. You can also get blood drawn for a same-day PSA test at the MSK Ralph Lauren Center.
Your care team may recommend you get a repeat PSA if your first test shows a high result. This is sometimes called a repeat PSA test.
If your repeat PSA test is still high, your healthcare provider may recommend more testing. Examples are a biomarker test, or an imaging test such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
We often do an MRI before a prostate biopsy to find areas in the prostate that do not look normal. The MRI also is used to guide the prostate biopsy.
Your care team will talk with you about the results. Your results will tell us if you need a biopsy of your prostate.
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A risk factor is anything that raises your chance of getting a disease, such as cancer.
There are some risk factors that you cannot control. These include your age, race, or the genes you were born with.
There are other risk factors you may be able to change. Research shows that having healthy habits can lower your risk for cancer.
A few risk factors can raise your chances of getting prostate cancer.
Your risk for getting prostate cancer rises as you get older. Over time, your cells are more likely to develop genetic changes (mutations or variants) that can lead to cancer.
Most people with prostate cancer are diagnosed after age 50. About 6 out of every 10 prostate cancers are found in people over age 65. Regular check-ups and screening that’s right for you are important as you age. They may find prostate cancer when it’s easier to cure.
Your risk is higher if a blood relative (such as your father or brother) also has prostate cancer.
You also may have higher risk for prostate cancer if you have a family history of some cancers. This includes breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colon, and other types of cancer.
Talk with your relatives from both sides of your family about any cancer, not just prostate cancer. Ask these questions about the relatives related to you by blood:
Your risk may be higher because of genetic changes (mutations or variants) you were born with. These mutations may be hereditary (they run in your family).
Some of these genes are BRCA1, BRCA2, HOXB13, and ATM.
Our clinical genetics experts can help assess your personal level of risk. They can give offer guidance about prostate cancer screening and other options.
In the United States, Black men are more likely to develop prostate cancer than men of another race or ethnicity.
Prostate cancer in Black men is more likely to:
Black men are also more likely to die from prostate cancer.
Most people with prostate cancer don't know if they have a family history of blood relatives with the disease.
If cancer runs in your family, including prostate cancer, we may suggest genetic counseling and testing. In fact, your chance of getting prostate cancer may double if your brother or father had it, too.
Genetic testing is a medical test. It looks at your DNA to see if you were born with changes (mutations or variants) in genes. These changes may raise your chances of getting prostate and sometimes other cancers.
Learn more about genetic testing for hereditary prostate cancer.
We’ll ask for your written permission to do the test. Before testing, we’ll review your personal and family cancer history to help decide which test is right for you. We’ll explain the test and what the results could mean.
The test involves taking a sample of blood or saliva. You can give a blood sample at an MSK location near you. Or, we’ll mail a saliva kit to your home. The sample is sent to a lab for testing.
When the results come back, often in a few weeks, we’ll go over them with you. If the test shows a gene change that raises your cancer risk, we’ll help you understand what that means. We’ll talk about ways to lower your risk, such as extra screenings or even surgery to prevent cancer.
Talk with an MSK Care Advisor. We're here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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There are some steps you can take to lower your risk for prostate cancer. There also are some risk factors that you cannot control.
Research shows that some healthy habits can lower your risk. Making healthier choices in your everyday life can help.
An MSK clinical trial focused on exercise before surgery for people with early-stage prostate cancer. Research suggests endurance exercise can improve PSA and another biomarkers linked to better results. Just under 4 hours a week of exercise improved the biomarkers.
Talk with your healthcare providers about prostate cancer screening. You can ask questions like these to help you start the conversation:
Prostate cancer often does not cause symptoms in the early stages. That’s why we recommend you get screenings on a schedule that’s right for you, even if you feel well. Screening recommendations are based on your age, health history, and other risk factors.
Having symptoms does not mean you have prostate cancer. Something else could be causing similar symptoms. You could have an enlarged prostate, when the prostate is larger than average. This is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (beh-NINE prah-STA-tik HY-per-PLAY-zhuh). It’s not prostate cancer.
Talk with your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. They’ll order the right tests to look for signs of prostate cancer.
It’s rare for prostate cancer to cause symptoms at an early stage.
At early stages, the tumor most often is small. The prostate tumor does not press on your bladder or urethra (yoo-REE-thruh). The urethra is the tube that carries urine (pee) from the bladder to outside the body.
As the tumor grows bigger and spreads, it may start to cause problems and symptoms:
Later-stage symptoms of prostate cancer include:
MSK's free, online Patient and Community Education Library has more than 1,200 written and video resources about cancer care. MSK experts explain topics such as treatments, procedures, side effects, screening, and prevention. Our information is in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and other languages.
Our experts are always finding new ways to treat prostate cancer and manage side effects. Explore prostate cancer news from MSK.
