About Prostate Cancer

1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

Early detection is key

When detected early, prostate cancer is one of the most successfully treated types of cancer.

What is Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the tissues in the prostate begin to grow abnormally and lose their normal function. Some prostate cancers grow and spread slowly, while others grow and spread quickly (3).

The prostate is a small walnut shaped gland in men below the bladder and in front of the rectum, which produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and carries the sperm (2).

What are the symptoms?

Prostate cancer may not cause any signs or symptoms in its early stages. Signs and symptoms often appear as the tumour grows and causes changes in the body such as changes in bladder habits. Other health conditions can cause the same symptoms as prostate cancer (3).

Learn more about symptoms

Get Screened Today

Are you a man 40 or older? The first step is to talk to your healthcare provider. The Canadian Urology Association (CUA) suggests having a discussion with your healthcare provider about whether PSA screening and alternative tests are right for you (4).

Prostate Cancer Screening Journey

What is PSA?

The PSA test measures the level of prostate speciﬁc antigen in your blood. High levels of blood PSA can indicate the presence of cancer in the prostate. However, there are many reasons why you might have a high PSA level that have no relation to cancer. In fact, only 1 in 4 men with high PSA levels have prostate cancer. PSA testing also finds indolent prostate cancer that may not need treatment leading to men opting for unnecessary treatments with potential harmful side effects (4,5).

What is Indolent vs. Aggressive Prostate Cancer?

Indolent prostate cancer is low-risk because the cancer stays in the prostate. The five year survival rate for indolent prostate cancer is 98-100%.

Aggressive prostate cancer is high-risk because it spreads from the prostate and forms cancerous tumors at distant site(s) in the body.

The five year survival rate drops to 32% for men with aggressive prostate cancer (4,5).

What are some risk factors of Prostate Cancer?

Age: Prostate Cancer is uncommon in men under 50 years of age and is most often diagnosed in men over 65.
Family history: Your risk of developing prostate cancer increases if you’ve had a close family member who has had prostate cancer.
Ancestry: Although the reasons are unclear, men of African ancestry may be at greater risk of developing prostate cancer than Caucasian men, and the risk is lower in men of Asian ancestry.
Diet: A diet that includes high-fat foods, particularly animal fats, may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
Chemical exposure: Exposure to metals such as cadmium or to farm pesticides may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer (3).

ClarityDX Prostate may be right for you.

ClarityDX Prostate gives you and your healthcare provider more information about what your elevated PSA levels mean and whether to have a prostate biopsy done or to continue monitoring PSA levels instead. Patients with suspicion of prostate cancer (i.e., elevated PSA levels and/or abnormal DRE) and without a prior diagnosis of prostate cancer are eligible for ClarityDX Prostate.

Learn More

Patient Stories

Tom’s Story: A Loss of Trust and The Importance of PSA Testing

Natalia Hotsaliuk2024-11-19T19:14:09+00:00November 19th, 2024|

This true story is being shared at the request of [...]

Brad’s Journey: Advocacy and Support in Fighting Prostate Cancer

Natalia Hotsaliuk2024-11-19T19:01:18+00:00November 19th, 2024|

Brad: "I had been getting my PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) [...]

GET SUPPORT FOR PROSTATE CANCER

RECOMMENDATIONS ON PROSTATE CANCER SCREENING AND EARLY DIAGNOSIS

LEARN MORE ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER

CITATIONS & ADDITIONAL NOTES

[1] Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2023. Canadian Cancer Society; 2023: https://cancer.ca/en/research/cancer-statistics
[2] Prostate cancer: Detection, types, and biopsies | ExosomeDX. (2024). https://www.exosomedx.com/patients/prostate-cancer
[3] Canadian Cancer Society (2021, February 1). Symptoms of prostate cancer. Canadian Cancer Society. https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/prostate/signs-and-symptoms
[4] Mason et al. 2022. Can Urol Assoc J. 16(4).
[5] Darren R. Brenner et al., CMAJ 2022 May 2;194:E601-7.doi: 10.1503/cmaj.212097