One of the most common types of cancer to affect men is prostate cancer and, for the first time, it has overtaken the number of cases of breast cancer in England, according to the International Business Times.

While the exact cause is not known, symptoms of prostate cancer may include:

• Feeling a burning sensation or pain while urinating
• Blood in the urine or seminal fluid
• The urge to urinate frequently, particularly during nighttime
• Feeling pain or discomfort when sitting
• Erectile dysfunction
• Difficulty urinating or having a weak stream

About 181,000 men get diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the U.S. While common, it has a survival rate of about 86%.

Treatment typically involves drugs, surgery and/or radiation, all of which are risky. There are safer, less invasive ways to diagnose and treat prostate cancer.

Recently, researchers discovered a bioactive compound in the neem plant that appears to have potent ability to quell prostate cancer. Neem has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years.

Animal research suggests nimbolide — a bioactive terpenoid compound found in the neem plant — may shrink prostate tumors by as much as 70%, and suppress metastasis by about 50%.

Certain modifications in diet may also have a beneficial effect on the prevention of prostate cancer with results of a study suggesting that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is beneficial in preventing and treating the cancer.

In studies, the consumption of tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, green tea and vitamins including vitamin E and selenium seemed to lead to a decreased risk of prostate cancer, while consumption of highly processed or charcoaled meats seemed to be correlated with prostate cancer.

A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is often recommended to men over 50 to screen for prostate cancer. Elevated PSA levels may indicate cancer or they could be elevated due to other causes. If your PSA test comes back elevated, it may lead to unnecessary biopsy and/or unnecessary treatment for prostate cancer, which can cause lasting side effects.

Men are routinely screened en masse for their PSA score, even though data clearly indicates that it results in a huge excess of radical invasive treatments, most of which — up to 85% according to some studies — are unnecessary.

The PSA test in itself is not the problem, but what is done with that information after the test could be a problem. The patient is usually sent to a urologist for a biopsy and if the man is 60 or older, chances are the biopsy will show some cancer cells.

It’s estimated that 46% of all American men between the ages of 50 and 59 have prostate cancer and that rate will increase as the man ages.

Surgery is usually recommended and it’s many times done within 48 hours of the diagnosis, even though it’s highly unlikely the patient will die of prostate cancer in the immediate future. However, after surgery the potential for a life of impotence and incontinence is considerable.