Prostate cancer
Cancer is when abnormal cells start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way. The cells can grow into surrounding tissues or organs, and may spread to other areas of the body.
Find out more about cancer and how it starts
The video below explains what prostate cancer is. It lasts for nearly 2 and a half minutes.
The prostate is a gland at the base of the bladder. It is about the size of a walnut but gets bigger as men get older.
The prostate surrounds the first part of the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. This tube is called the urethra. The urethra also carries semen, which is the fluid containing sperm.
The prostate gland produces a protein called prostate specific antigen (PSA). A blood test can measure the level of PSA.
This diagram shows the position of the prostate gland, bladder and back passage ().
The prostate gland is part of the male . The video below shows the different parts of the male reproductive system. It lasts for 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Most prostate cancers start in the outer gland cells of the prostate. They are called acinar adenocarcinomas. Many of these cancers grow extremely slowly and are not likely to spread. But some can grow more quickly.
Find out about other types of prostate cancer
There are different terms to describe your prostate cancer, and how far it has spread.
Metastatic prostate cancer means that your cancer has spread to another part of your body. For example, to the bones. You might also hear this called advanced cancer.
Read more about metastatic prostate cancer
Your doctor might call it non metastatic prostate cancer, or localised prostate cancer. This means the cancer is only inside the prostate gland. It has not spread to other parts of the body.
Another term you might hear is locally advanced prostate cancer. This means the cancer has broken through the capsule (covering) of the prostate gland. It has spread to nearby tissues, such as the rectum. But it hasn't spread further away to another part of your body.
Read more about the stages of prostate cancer
You need a prostate gland to get prostate cancer. So it mostly affects men. Trans women and non-binary people who are born male (assigned male at birth) can get prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is most common in older men. On average each year around 35 out of 100 (around 35%) new cases are in men aged 75 and over.
It is more common in Black men than in White men. It is less common in Asian men. A man’s risk of developing prostate cancer depends on many factors. These include:
age
genetics and family history
lifestyle factors
other medical conditions
Find out more about the risks and causes of prostate cancer
Around 55,300 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each year. In men, it is the most common cancer in the UK.
The number of people diagnosed with prostate cancer has increased over the last 10 years. This is mainly because more people are having PSA tests and the population is getting older.
Last reviewed: 02 May 2025
Next review due: 02 May 2028
Prostate cancer doesn't usually cause any symptoms in the early stages.
Your risk of developing prostate cancer depends on many things including age, family history and ethnicity.
You have a number of tests to check for prostate cancer. These may include a digital rectal examination, a PSA blood test, scans and a biopsy.
Doctors use Grade Groups and other information to divide prostate cancer into 5 groups called the the Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG). The stage tells you the size of the cancer and whether it has spread.
Metastatic prostate cancer means that a cancer that began in the prostate has spread to another part of the body. It is sometimes called advanced prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is found at the base of the bladder and is about the size of a walnut.
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