No subject is as frightening -- or as confusing -- for most men as prostate cancer.

• While one man in ten is likely to have to deal with prostate cancer during a lifetime, the causes of the disease are not well understood -- and doctors differ on the best way of treating it.
• While tens of thousands of men die each year from prostate cancer, doctors advise many newly diagnosed men against taking immediate aggressive treatment -- to simply watch and see if it gets worse.

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• While men obviously are concerned about which treatment is most likely to save their lives, many are equally concerned about such treatment side-effects as incontinence and impotence.

The fear of prostate cancer -- much less the actual diagnosis -- can lead to panic, which may explain why millions of men fail to regularly have the screening tests that could help them catch the disease at an early stage when it generally can be effectively treated and cured.

Many men are also unaware of the known risk factors for prostate cancer, which should lead some of them to start screening tests at an earlier age, and be even more vigilant.

But if you are one of the almost 200,000 men who will come home from the doctor this year with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, this site can help you inform yourself about your options, and their implications for your future.

In Prostate Cancer Basics, we cover the complex subject of prostate cancer staging, and what the various scores mean. We also examine the growing variety of treatment options, both for early-stage prostate cancer and for the far more serious situation where the prostate cancer has spread (metastasized) outside the prostate to the bones or another part of the body.

In Prostate Cancer Issues, we discuss various coping strategies, the role of family and friends in helping a man deal with prostate cancer, and the pros and cons of various treatment strategies in terms of erectile dysfunction and incontinence.

And for the lucky ones among you who are simply worrying about the possibility of prostate cancer, the Preventing Prostate Cancer section discusses the role of diet, herbs, vitamins and vaccines in helping you remain cancer free.