Senator Bob Casey has prostate cancer. Here’s what to know about the disease

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Thursday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers in men.

Casey said in a statement that he was diagnosed last month and has an “excellent prognosis.”

» READ MORE: Sen. Bob Casey announces prostate cancer diagnosis, plans to undergo surgery in coming months

“In the coming months I will undergo surgery, after which I am expected to make a full recovery,” he said.

Here is what to know about this type of cancer:

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located under the bladder that’s part of the male reproductive system and helps create semen. As the body ages, the prostate grows. If the prostate grows too much, it can cause decreased flow in the urethra and other health problems.

Prostate cancer occurs when prostate cells grow out of control, creating a malignant tumor.

Prostate cancer is consistently the most common cancer in men other than skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

In 2022, more than a quarter million men received a similar diagnosis to Casey’s.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter in 2021 said he had surgery for prostate cancer. Some of Casey’s Senate colleagues also had prostate cancer, including Michael Bennet (D, Co.), Thom Tillis (R, N.C.), Ron Wyden (D, Ore.), Angus King (I, Maine), and Mitt Romney (R, Utah).

The average age for a prostate cancer diagnosis is about 66 years old, and it is rare under age 40. Casey is 62.

Black men are at a higher risk for prostate cancer.

It could be.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 34,500 men died of prostate cancer in 2022, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

But overall, most people diagnosed with the cancer will not die from it.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the symptoms of prostate cancer are:

These symptoms are not exclusive to prostate cancer, but anyone experiencing them should see a physician. However, most men diagnosed with “localized” prostate cancer, meaning the disease hasn’t spread, have no symptoms. And even when people experience symptoms, such as frequent urination, prostate cancer is often not the cause, according to Alexander Kutikov, chief of the Division of Urology and Urologic Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

“The vast majority of those symptoms are actually from benign causes, from just enlargement of the prostate or from bladder outlet obstruction, just things that happen with age in the urinary tract that have nothing to do with cancer,” Kutikov said.

Some people might have no symptoms at all, which makes screening for prostate cancer important. The survival rate for prostate cancer is also higher the earlier the cancer is detected.

There are a few ways to detect prostate cancer, including a digital rectal exam and a blood test that looks for a substance produced mostly by the prostate (prostate specific antigen) and could be elevated in patients with cancer.

However, to screen — or not to screen — remains highly debated among those in the medical community.

The challenge is that the treatment for prostate cancer can be life-changing so if it’s something that was never going to claim your life, some people may choose not to find out.

“This is a very important conversation to have with a provider, because screening is a bit of a double-edged sword in prostate cancer,” Kutikov said. “About half of the men with localized prostate cancer who get diagnosed actually get diagnosed with a cancer that has a very, very small chance of claiming their lives. In the cancer space, we call that ‘over diagnoses.’”

Screening tests can yield a “false positive result,” which triggers unnecessary emotional distress and unpleasant prostate biopsies.

At the same time, screening tests may miss aggressive types of prostate cancer and produce a “false negative result,” giving the patient a false sense of security.

In addition, a very large proportion of men diagnosed with prostate cancer “harbor disease that grows so slowly that it will not shorten their lives or even cause symptoms,” according to Kutikov.

“It’s such a low-risk version of prostate cancer that it’s a cancer that was never destined to get you into trouble, never destined to make you succumb to it, and had you not found out about it, there would have been no downside to that,” he said. “The challenge is that the treatment for prostate cancer can be life-changing so if it’s something that was never going to claim your life, some people may choose not to find out. It’s a very personal choice.”

The American Urological Association recommends screening for men who have a family history of prostate cancer, men between the ages of 55 and 69, and Black men, given the higher rates of deadly prostate cancer among that population.

The screening is just the first step and the actual diagnosis requires imaging — such as an ultrasound or MRI — and potentially, a biopsy.

Anyone born with a prostate, including transgender women and nonbinary individuals who were assigned male at birth, could have prostate cancer and should discuss screening options with their primary care provider.

» READ MORE: Q&A: What to expect if you’re having a prostatectomy

For low-risk cancers, doctors will likely recommend “active surveillance,” watching it carefully through repeat blood test, MRIs, and biopsies.

For more aggressive prostate cancer, patients can choose surgery or radiation therapy. During surgery, doctors will remove the prostate and the seminal vesicles, the secreting organs connected to the prostate, and reconnect the bladder to the urethra.

“Generally, younger men and men in superior overall health go with surgery and older men, or more frail men, go with radiation, but it’s a very important decision to be made by discussing the pros and the cons of each treatment with the patient’s provider,” Kutikov said.

Both surgery and radiation can cause side effects, including changes in urinary and sexual function.