From National Cancer Institute

You may be having prostate problems and want to learn more about prostate cancer symptoms and risk factors, the PSA screening test, and conditions that are not cancer such as an enlarged prostate (BPH) and prostatitis.

You may want to print out this booklet. The PDF has practical lists, tips, and medical images to help you learn more and talk with your doctor.

On This Page

• About the Prostate
• Prostate Changes That Are Not Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Tests Used to Check the Prostate
• Talking With Your Doctor

About the Prostate

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The prostate is a small gland in men. It is part of the male reproductive system. The prostate is about the size and shape of a walnut. It sits low in the pelvis, below the bladder and just in front of the rectum. The prostate helps make semen, the milky fluid that carries sperm from the testicles through the penis when a man ejaculates. The prostate surrounds part of the urethra, a tube that carries urine out of the bladder and through the penis.