Truthfully, about 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, a sad reality, which is why awareness and prevention are vital.
Securing its spot as the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, the American Cancer Society estimates more than 35,000 men will lose their lives to prostate cancer in 2025.Â
Prostate cancer is a serious condition, often not showing symptoms until later in its course. However, thanks to the latest advancements in healthcare technology, early detection and treatment advancements have only helped strengthen the prognosis of this disease, leading many to live their lives on their terms rather than that of their cancer.Â
Keep reading as we help you understand what prostate cancer is, who is at risk of developing the disease, and which tests actually detect it.Â
Understanding Prostate Cancer
Cancer can come in many forms within our bodies, beginning when cells grow out of control. To understand the specific cancer, we have to start by understanding the area of the body in which the cells begin to grow uncontrollably.Â
Understanding Prostate CancerÂ
Along with being the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in men, prostate cancer also happens to be one of the most common types of cancer, affecting about one in eight men during their lifetime.Â
Almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. Developing from the gland cells in the prostate, they primarily grow slowly and stay confined to that area. However, there are some more aggressive types that can spread quickly throughout the body.Â
What Causes Prostate Cancer?Â
For men, certain factors can increase your risk of prostate cancer, including:Â
- Older age: The risk of developing prostate cancer increases as you get older, particularly after age 50. Roughly 60% of prostate cancer diagnoses are in men older than 65 years of age.Â
- Family medical history: If a close relative, such as a parent or sibling, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you’re at an increased risk for the disease.Â
- Genetics: Certain genetic mutations that can either be inherited or acquired during your lifetime hold an increased risk of prostate cancer developing. Inherited variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2, the same genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer, raise prostate cancer risk, as does Lynch syndrome. If these run in your family, mention it to your doctor, because it may change when screening should start.Â
How Prostate Cancer Is Actually Detected
Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms, so detection depends on screening rather than on noticing something.
The starting point is a PSA blood test, sometimes with a digital rectal exam. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gives PSA screening a Grade C for men aged 55 to 69, meaning the decision should be an individual one made with your clinician after discussing the benefits and the harms. Those harms are real: false positives, unnecessary biopsies, and the overdiagnosis of cancers that would never have caused symptoms. For men 70 and over the Task Force recommends against routine screening.
If your PSA is elevated, the next step is often a multiparametric MRI of the prostate. That is a dedicated high-resolution scan of one organ using specialised sequences, scored on a standardised scale called PI-RADS, and its job is to tell your urologist whether a biopsy is needed and where to aim it. A pathologist makes the diagnosis from the tissue.
What Our Whole-Body Scan Does Here
Less than you might hope, and we would rather say so.
Our scan images the prostate as part of the pelvis and can show an enlarged gland, obvious asymmetry, a sizeable mass or signs of spread. Those are worth reporting and we would report them. What it cannot do is replace a dedicated prostate MRI, because it runs at far lower resolution without the required sequences and cannot produce a PI-RADS score. It is not a substitute for a PSA test.
If you are in the age range where screening is on the table, or you have a family history or a known BRCA or Lynch variant, talk to your physician about PSA. Our prostate cancer questions article goes into the pathway in more detail, and you can read about the finding itself in our library entry on the heterogeneous prostate.
Schedule a Scan with MRI Wellness
If you want a broad structural baseline alongside the screening your doctor recommends, schedule a scan or talk to our team first and we will be honest about what it covers.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
What are the risk factors for prostate cancer?
Age is the biggest, with risk rising after 50 and roughly 60 percent of diagnoses in men over 65. Family history matters: having a father or brother with prostate cancer more than doubles your risk. Inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants and Lynch syndrome also raise it. The disease is more common in African American men and Caribbean men of African ancestry, for reasons that remain unclear.
How is prostate cancer detected?
Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms, so detection depends on screening. The starting point is a PSA blood test, sometimes with a digital rectal exam. If PSA is elevated, a multiparametric MRI of the prostate helps decide whether a biopsy is needed and where to target it. A pathologist makes the diagnosis from tissue.
Should I have a PSA test?
For men aged 55 to 69 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gives PSA screening a Grade C, meaning it should be an individual decision made with your clinician after weighing benefits and harms. Those harms include false positives, unnecessary biopsies and overdiagnosis of cancers that would never have caused symptoms. For men 70 and over, routine screening is not recommended.
Can a whole-body MRI detect prostate cancer?
Not reliably. It images the prostate as part of the pelvis and can show an enlarged gland, obvious asymmetry, a sizeable mass or signs of spread, all of which we would report. But it runs at far lower resolution than a dedicated prostate MRI, lacks the required sequences, and cannot produce a PI-RADS score. It does not replace a PSA test.
How common is prostate cancer?
About 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed in their lifetime, making it one of the most common cancers in American men and the second-leading cause of cancer death among them. The American Cancer Society estimated more than 35,000 deaths in 2025. Most prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas that grow slowly and stay confined, though some types are more aggressive.
