The Prostate gland located below the bladder, in front of the rectum, produces liquid which nourishes, protects and also helps in carrying sperm during ejaculation. Prostrate cancer is rare in men who are aged below 50, but with growing years, the disease become common.
Prostrate cancer develops in the prostrate gland. In this disease, the cells of the prostrate mutate and multiply without control. These cells may spread to other parts of the body called metastasize, mainly in the bones and lymph nodes. The disease causes pain, erectile dysfunction, difficulty in urinating and some other symptoms.
As the prostrate gland occurs in men, prostrate cancer could only occur in male reproductive tract. The disease is the common type of cancer among the men in the USA. In UK it is the second largest type of cancer among men.
There are factors like genetics and diet that are thought to be the cause of developing prostrate cancer. Chances of having the disease are more among those whose father or brother has prostrate cancer. It is more prevalent among men of African-Caribbean or African-American descent and also in the western countries.
Prostrate Cancer Symptoms
Though there are no symptoms of prostate cancer, but if incurred, may have the following:
The urge to urinate frequently
Disturbed sleep as there is need to urinate
Delay or hesitancy before urinating
Difficulty or pain when passing water
The feeling that the bladder has not emptied completely
Pain or stiffness in the pelvis, lower back and hips
One should note that there could be other reasons that are non-cancerous conditions, which are the cause of these symptoms.
In advanced stages of prostate cancer, the following symptoms could be seen:
Bone pain
Weight loss
Blood in the urine or semen
Pain in the loins, pelvis or lower back
Prevention of Prostrate Cancer
To prevent prostrate cancer, there should be a healthy diet which must have low fat. Vitamin E,Selenium and also lycopene (in tomatoes).
Diagnosis of Prostrate Cancer
Early diagnosis of Prostrate Cancer helps in successful treatment of the disease. Therefore it is imperative to meet a General Physician as early as possible. A digital rectal examination (DRE) is performed by the GP along with some blood tests and other tests like x-rays and scans to diagnose the disease. Tests like PSA (prostrate specific antigen) are used to diagnose the disease.
The specialist then makes a biopsy of the Prostrate to know whether any prostrate cancer is present and the degree of its stage. This results help in the type of treatment that should be undertaken.
Prostrate Cancer Treatment
The treatment of Prostrate Cancer rests on many factors. First it has to be known whether the caner is present within the prostrate (localized) or else it has spread throughout the body (advanced).
Prostate cancer is treated with different methods like surgery, proton therapy, radiation therapy, occasionally chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or some combination of these.
Treatment depends on a number of factors, primarily whether the cancer is contained within the prostate (localized) or has spread around the body (advanced).
When the cancer is small and contained, also called localized disease, is maintained by observing, and then doing surgery to remove the prostrate (also called radical prostatectomy). Then radioactive seeds are implanted in the prostrate or else high focused radiotherapy is performed.
Some other treatments used to treat prostrate cancer are high-frequency ultrasound (HIFU) and cryotherapy.
The advanced stages of prostrate cancer are treated using hormone therapy, in which the amount of testosterone in the body is reduced by which the growth of cancer cells are either slowed down or stopped.
Many men, who have prostrate cancer and have no symptoms, do not undergo any therapy and they die of other reasons. This is mainly due the fact that malignant neoplasms of the prostrate are mostly slow-growing and those who are affected by this disease are old people.
