Causes of Prostate Cancer: Crucial Information About A Silent Killer

The prostate gland, which is about the size of a walnut, is actually a collection of glands encased as one organ, and an essential part of a man’s reproductive system. Cells, within the glands in the prostate that produce most of the semen, can sometimes lose their normal controls. They become cancerous, growing out of control. Unlike other cancers, prostate cancer usually grows very slowly, most often staying within the encasement of the prostrate organ for years without serious harm. When the growth continues undetected, the prostrate cancer’s malignant cells eventually move beyond the prostrate and its surrounding tissues and into the fat surrounding the prostate. It can also move into the adjacent bladder or seminal vesicles.

What Are Your Chances of Having Prostate Cancer?

Because of its very slow growth, and because it shows up mostly in older men, prostate cancer does not always shorten life, but when the malignancy is large and advanced or appears at a younger age, it can very serious, which is why the American Cancer Society recommends early screening. When prostate cancer is detected early, before it has a chance to spread, the disease has a greater chance of being curable.

Three Major Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer:

1. Age: Age is the most important risk factor for prostate cancer, because like other cancers, it can take years to develop. The chance of developing the disease increases dramatically after age 50. More than 70% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men that are older than 65. Young healthy men have defense mechanisms that protect against cell-damaging chemicals which are produced as part of their normal body processes. But when they age, these defenses weaken, and mutations start to occur gradually. Over decades, tiny alterations within the prostate cells, called oxidative damage, take their toll.
2. Family History: A man with a family history of prostate cancer is twice at risk of developing prostate cancer. This risk increases if more than one of his relatives had the disease, and even more so if his relative was young, such as in his 50’s. If his father or brother had prostate cancer, his risk is 2½ times greater. If the disease shows up in three family members, such as a father and two brothers, or over three generations, such as a grandfather, father and son, the risk of prostate cancer can be as high as 50%.
3. Race: Some races seem to have a higher risk for prostate cancer. African-American men have the highest risk of getting prostate cancer than any other ethnicity. Those that do are more likely to have prostate cancer recur after treatment and experience more severe forms of the cancer. They are also more likely to die from prostate cancer than their white counterparts, who follow after them in the mortality rate. After African-American and white American men, the races that follow in prostate cancer incidence and mortality, from high to low, are Hispanics, then Asians and Pacific Islanders, then Alaska Natives and American Indians.

Recent research reveals that a man’s susceptibility to prostate cancer may be less about his race and more about his environment. Inadequate exposure to vitamin D, a high-fat diet, poor nutrition, and lack of access to proper healthcare such as regular medical checkups and diagnostic testing are also contributors to the disease. Recent studies found these factors can also play a role in prostate cancer:

• Diet: Studies suggest that a diet of high-fat and red meat encourages prostate cancer cells to grow, because there is an enzyme in the cells that gets energized by the fatty acids in red meats and dairy products. Once energized, the cells produce hydrogen peroxide and cause more oxidative damage and mutations. Conversely, these studies show that a diet rich in green vegetables, fish, tomato products, fruits and soy products may help to lower the risk of prostate cancer.
• Vitamin D, Sunlight, and Calcium: Vitamin D is known to protect s against cancer. When our body metabolizes the vitamin D from sunlight, it seems to be able to keep cells intact and healthy, with slow and orderly growth. Although no definitive link has been discovered, there are some studies which suggest that men who eat foods or take supplements with high amounts of calcium have a higher risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.
• Hormones: Male hormones are needed for the growth, maintenance, and function of a healthy prostate. However, they may also have the ability to speed prostate cancer growth. The correlation between hormones and prostate cancer is still unclear, but studies seem to indicate it may be the way that some men’s genes respond to hormones.

Causes of Prostate Cancer

Although the causes of prostate cancer are not yet fully understood, recent research suggests that the disease may develop because of genetic imbalances. Accelerated by environmental factors such as diet and obesity, these imbalances can lead to cell mutations over time. Also, there are genes in every cell that prevent cancer by blocking or suppressing cancerous changes. When these preventative genes are hindered or suppressed, there is nothing to stop cancer from starting up and growing. And then there are the genes that, for yet unknown reasons, activate after years of dormancy and stimulate cell growth.

Diagnosing Prostate Cancer

There are fewer deaths from prostate cancer today because there early detection triggers early treatment. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends a baseline screening at age 40 and again at 45 before annual testing begins at 50.

The American Cancer Society has the following recommendations for annual testing:

Physicians have found that the most effective method of detecting prostate cancer is to use both of the following tests:

• Digital rectal examination (DRE): A DRE exam allows a doctor to determine if a prostate is enlarged or has other irregularities or if prostate cancer has returned after treatment. If there is an abnormality, the test can give the doctor an idea of how extensive it is and help determine the course of a potential biopsy. After it is determined that a man has prostate cancer, this test is helpful in determining if the metastasis has gone beyond the prostate grand.
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test: Prostate-specific antigen is detected in the bloodstream through a simple blood test. Abnormal levels of prostate-specific antigen may mean prostate cancer. The normal range for PSA levels is 0.0 to 4.0. A mild to moderate increase in PSA does not necessarily mean prostate cancer is present. More often no cancer is detected, but it does suggest an increased likelihood for the disease. However, very high PSA levels are strongly indications of prostate cancer.
• Biopsy of the prostrate: If the early detection tests have raised the possibility of prostate cancer, then your doctor will want to use other tests to confirm. A biopsy, which involves removing a sample tissue, is the most reliable method for diagnosing or ruling out prostate cancer.

Treating Prostate Cancer

Once diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is important to discuss different treatment options with your doctor, keeping in mind that what works for one person may not work for another. Discuss with your physician all the potential benefits and complications of the choices before you. If detected early enough, he may suggest any of these common treatment options for prostate cancer:
Radical Prostatectomy – The most common method for the surgical removal of the prostate gland, surrounding tissues and a few lymph nodes.

• Radiation Therapy – There are two standard approaches:
• External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), in which radiation is sent into the tumor from the outside with an external beam therapy.
• Brachytherapy, in which radioactive seeds are implanted directly into the tumor.
• Cyro/Thermal Ablation – Freezing or heating the prostate. The prostate is physically subjected to extreme temperatures, causing cells to die.
• Hormone – All male hormones or androgens are eliminated from the body. Since testosterone stimulates cell growth, when eliminated, the cancer stops growing and sometimes goes dormant
• Chemotherapy – Medications used to kill cancer cells. These drugs, which are injected or swallowed in pills, travel in the bloodstream, moving throughout the body. While useful against cancers that may have spread to distant parts of the body, this therapy is not used to cure prostate cancer. The primary objectives for this treatment are to reduce bone pain, lower PSA levels and shrink tumors of metastatic prostate cancer that is no longer responding to therapy.

Some Effects of Treatment Therapies:

Self-Help – How to Lower the Risk of Prostate Cancer

A study by the American Cancer Society revealed that men who ate a high-calorie, high-fat diet increased their risk for prostate cancer. Researchers found that when the fat content in the diet is 15% or lower, the risk for prostate cancer is at its lowest, and at 28% or higher, the risk doubles.

In addition to limiting your red meat and eating less than 20% fat, consider these foods to help lower your risk for developing prostate cancer:

Lowering Your Risk of Developing Prostate Cancer