Diagram showing the anatomy of the prostate, a gland of the male reproductive system that produces fluid for semen. A recently released study found that the prostate cancer rate is unusually high in St. Louis County.
Spikes and dips in cancer rates are not uncommon in public health statistics, but explaining why they occur and deciding what to do about them can often be as difficult as treating the disease itself. St. Louis Public Radio's Joseph Leahy takes a look at St. Louis County where the prostate cancer rate is unusually high.
There's more evidence that most men don’t need an annual prostate cancer screening.
Washington University chief urologist Dr. Gerald Andriole has been leading a clinical trial involving more than 75,000 men over the age of 55.
The study has tracked the men for over a decade, to see whether getting an annual prostate-specific antigen, or PSA test, makes someone less likely to die from prostate cancer.