Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA
Understanding Prostate Cancer: Risks, Symptoms, and Why Early Detection Matters
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Asia Tabb
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA
AIRED; February 19, 2026
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men, yet many people don’t fully understand what it is, who is most at risk, or how it’s treated. In a recent conversation, hematologist-oncologist Joshua Shipley broke down the science, risks, and treatment options in clear, practical terms.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Prostate Cancer?
At its core, cancer begins at the cellular level.
Dr. Shipley explains it this way: “Human living organisms are made up of cells… the average human adult is estimated to be somewhere between 30 and 35 trillion cells.”
The prostate gland itself is made up of billions of normal cells. Prostate cancer develops when one of those normal cells mutates.
“When a man develops prostate cancer, what it means is that at one point in time what was once a single normal prostate cell changed,” he says. “The cell acquired mutations that caused it to become dysfunctional… and it started growing and dividing in an uncontrolled way.”
As these abnormal cells multiply, they form a cluster known as a tumor. In some cases, cancer cells can break away and travel through the blood or lymph system to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis — something doctors aim to prevent through early detection and treatment.
Where Is the Prostate and What Does It Do?
Many men have heard of prostate cancer but aren’t exactly sure where the prostate is located.
“The prostate sits deep down in the pelvis in a male,” Dr. Shipley explains. “It’s really kind of between the bladder and the rectum.”
The urethra — the tube that carries urine out of the body — runs directly through the prostate. That’s why urinary symptoms are often linked to prostate problems.
Who Is at Risk?
If you’re a man, you are at some level of risk.
“Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men,” Dr. Shipley says. “The estimated lifetime risk is one in eight men.”
However, some groups face higher risk:
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African American men have about a one in six lifetime risk.
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Men of Ashkenazi Jewish descent may have increased risk, especially those carrying BRCA2 gene mutations.
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Men with a family history — particularly a father or brother with prostate cancer — are at elevated risk.
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Families with strong histories of breast or ovarian cancer may also have inherited genetic susceptibility.
“It’s quite common,” Dr. Shipley emphasizes. “If you’re a man, you’re at some lifetime risk.”
Are There Early Warning Signs?
In its earliest stages, prostate cancer is usually silent.
“Most of the time in the early stages, it’s silent,” Dr. Shipley says.
When symptoms do appear, they’re often urinary and may include:
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Trouble urinating
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Feeling unable to empty the bladder completely
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Pain during urination
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Blood in the urine
In more advanced stages, signs may include bone pain or unexplained weight loss — possible indicators that the cancer has spread.
Does Every Man Need Immediate Treatment?
Hearing the word “cancer” often triggers a desire to act fast. But prostate cancer varies widely from person to person.
“Prostate cancer can be very different from one man to the next,” Dr. Shipley explains. “It essentially sits somewhere on a spectrum.”
On one end is low-risk prostate cancer that may never cause harm. On the other end are aggressive forms that require immediate intervention.
For men with low-risk or some intermediate-risk cases, doctors may recommend active surveillance instead of immediate treatment.
“That’s basically monitoring the patient to watch for any signs that the cancer is changing,” he says.
This approach helps men avoid potential side effects from treatment — including urinary, bowel, and sexual complications — if the cancer is unlikely to progress.
Treatment Options
For men who do require treatment, the most common approaches include:
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Surgery (Prostatectomy): Removal of the prostate gland.
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Radiation Therapy: Targeted radiation to destroy cancer cells while leaving the prostate in place.
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Hormone Therapy (Testosterone Suppression): Often combined with radiation in certain cases.
“These are going to be your most common standard treatment approaches for prostate cancer that’s localized to the prostate gland and hasn’t spread,” Dr. Shipley says.
What Does Recovery Look Like?
Recovery depends on the treatment type and individual factors.
Common side effects may include:
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Urinary incontinence
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Urinary urgency or discomfort
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Bowel changes such as diarrhea or rectal bleeding
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Erectile dysfunction
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Loss of libido, especially with testosterone suppression therapy
“The longer a man is on hormone suppression and the older that man is, the longer the recovery can be,” Dr. Shipley notes.
