If you face prostate cancer, you are not alone. The American Cancer Society estimates more than 232,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States during 2005 (Cancer Facts & Figures 2005, www.cancer.org.) Excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, it is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men.

In addition, this disease is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in men, with 30,350 deaths anticipated during 2005, exceeded only by lung cancer. Yet if diagnosed early, it is one of the most treatable cancers. Early detection also provides the opportunity to consider the maximum number of treatment options.

Although men of any age can have this condition, it most often affects those over age 50. In fact, more than 70 percent of patients are older than 65. Prostate cancer is about twice as common in African-American men as it is among white American men. In addition, the risk is higher for men who have a father or brother with the disease.