When a man turns forty, the prostate begins to grow. When the prostate grows, it can do either of three things: grow and give no symptoms at all; grow and compress the tube called the urethra where the urine flows through, creating symptoms of blockage; or grow and become cancerous.
PAUL MONIZ: So, does it grow in every man? In other words, take me through even a healthy person, a healthy man, thirty; a healthy man, sixty. The sixty-year old is always going to have a larger prostate?
ROBERT SALANT, MD: In general, when a man turns forty the prostate will begin to grow. And it will grow in just about everybody. That does not mean everybody will experience symptoms related to the prostate growth. Here is a model of the prostate with the bladder, the urethra where the urine flows through and the prostate. As a man grows, the prostate expands and not only outwardly, but puts pressure on the tube, called the urethra, causing resistance to the urine flow and symptoms of urinary blockage. This is benign prostate growth.
The prostate may also develop cancer. Cancers, at least at the very early stages, tend not to have any symptoms whatsoever.
PAUL MONIZ: So, for people who are at home experiencing no symptoms, thinking that they probably shouldn't even worry about this, you would say what?
ROBERT SALANT, MD: I would have to tell them that if you're above the age of 40, you need to have your prostate examined at least once a year.
PAUL MONIZ: How common is this? Let's bring Doctor Shasha into this. How common is prostate cancer among men?
