The prostate is a gland that sits right at the base of the urethra, where the urine comes out. Interestingly, it is one of the few parts of the body that continues to grow over the entire life span. This, unfortunately, means that most men, as they age into their 50s and 60s, will begin to experience some trouble with urination because of the growing prostate pressing on the urethra. This leads to weak urine flow, dribbling, and the need to urinate frequently. This condition, called benign prostatic hypertrophy, is not usually dangerous, but it is very inconvenient. Sometimes modifying some basic habits can help (such as avoiding liquids at night, to prevent having to get up in the night to urinate). Also, there are multiple effective medications to decrease the hypertrophy of the prostate and help with urine flow. Your primary care doctor and your urologist can prescribe these medications for you. More to the point, you are probably concerned that benign prostatic hypertrophy may lead to prostate cancer. Although prostate cancer is very common in older men, it is not related to benign prostatic hypertrophy. Nevertheless, you should have a discussion with your primary care doctor or your urologist about screening for prostate cancer.