Prostate cancer is one of the leading diseases that middle-aged men are diagnosed with every year around the world. One of the most important things that prostate cancer patients and their families can do to help work through such a situation, is to gain as much information about prostate cancer as possible.
Prostate Information
The prostate is a gland the size of a small kiwi fruit and it’s located at the base of the bladder that surrounds a portion of the urethra within the male reproductive system. Both men and women have a prostate, however the female prostate is much smaller.For men, the prostate stores semen, nourishes it with prostatic fluid and carries it along the urethra during ejaculation.
Prostate Cancer Information
Both men and women have a prostate cancer risk; this is a very rare occurrence for women. Prostate cancer causes the prostate to become enlarged and can eventually block the urethra’s passageway, causing a chain reaction of problems from incontinence and sexual dysfunction, among others.
It’s very difficult to know the percentage of men who die of prostate cancer because the cancerous cells tend to grow slowly and the majority of men who are diagnosed are over the age of 65. Due to advancing age and other factors that are present along with prostate cancer, most patients die with prostate cancer but from other causes.
Causes
While there are no solid causes for prostate cancer, it’s mainly developed in men over the age of 40; however there are other factors that lead to this type of cancer:
- Family medical history
- Age
- Hormone changes in the body
- Exposure to chemicals and toxins
Prostate Cancer Screening
Every man who reaches the age of 50 must undergo screening tests in order to check for tumors or possible signs of prostate cancer. They are a common way to try and detect cancer in the early stages, even before any symptoms arise for the best chances of treatment and survival.
There are three main methods of prostate cancer screening:
Prostate Specific Antigen Test
This test checks the overall protein levels from a man’s prostate. If the levels are higher than they should be, further tests are conducted in order to find the cause since this may be an indication of an infection or prostate cancer.
Digital Rectal Examination
A digital rectal examination is conducted manually by a doctor. Using a gloved hand, they insert one finger around the external anal area, into the perineal area and finally the prostate. Although generally uncomfortable for patients, this is one of the simplest methods to check for possible tumors.
Cystoscopy
A cystoscopy is a fine medical probe that’s inserted into a man’s urethra. The probe is equipped with a lens and light at the end, which allows doctors to examine the urinary tract for any abnormalities, infection or possible diseases.
Prostate Cancer Stages
Early Stages
In most cases, early stages of prostate cancer will either have no symptoms or minute symptoms that are easily mistaken as other less serious conditions, like a cold for men in seemingly good health. Because of this, most cases of prostate cancer are found during routine checkups or when they have advanced to a more serious stage.
Moderate Stages
Common symptoms in moderate stages include:
- difficult urination
- frequent urination at night
- painful urination
- problems starting or maintaining a urinary flow
Advanced Prostate Cancer
An advanced prostate cancer stage, also known as metastatic cancer,is when a patient is in a serious state due to the fact that the cancer cells have spread to other neighbouring areas like the lymph nodes or bones. Once they have extended from the general reproductive area, other symptoms arise:
- blood in the urine
- bone pain (vertebrae, pelvis and ribs)
- erectile dysfunction
- painful ejaculation
- swelling of the legs and feet
- weight loss
Treatment Options when Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer
Depending on the developed stage of prostate cancer, there are several different treatment options available. While there is no solid cure for prostate cancer, the chances of survival and complete eradication are much higher than most other forms of cancer.
Depending on each patient’s personal medical history, the stages of prostate cancer they are fighting along with other factors that doctors must closely look at, one or more treatments can be administered.
To learn more about possible options for treating prostate cancer, consider the following:
Surgery
Surgery is usually the first choice for most prostate cancer patients. They will either undergo surgery to remove part of the tumor or the entire prostate along with the tumor and surrounding tissue. Both methods try to slow down cancer cell growth and are generally combined with hormone therapy for a better outcome.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to prevent cancer cells from developing. These drugs can be administered orally, directed into the veins or injected directly into muscles, depending on the cancer type. While this form of treatment is usually the most aggressive, especially when combined with radiation or hormone therapy, it’s one of the more widely administered treatments for most cancer patients.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy reduces androgen levels in the body to inhibit cancer cell growth. Cancer thrives on testosterone in men, so reducing the levels create an environment where the tumor is unable to grow. This is usually a treatment option in combination with chemotherapy or radiation.
Radiation
Radiation therapy is available in two different methods: internal radiation therapy and external beam radiation therapy.
Internal radiation, also known as Brachytherapy,uses radioactive material that’s implanted directly into the body from an injection or seed and placed as close to the cancerous tumor as possible, sometimes even carried by blood to the main cancer site. The dosage strength and amount depend on the type and stage of cancer but is one of the effective ways to kill cancer cells directly.
External beam radiation therapy uses two different methods of treatment. One utilizes high energy x-ray technology to focus on the tumor site and kill destroy the cancerous cells. This type of treatment can be quite harsh, especially since it also damages many healthy cells that surround the tumor.
The second type is a form of radiation therapy that utilizes a beam of protons to kill cancerous cells in a very precise manner. This method uses less energy and has a tightly focused radiation beam that concentrates only on cancer cells, leaving less damage to healthy cells in the body.
Clinical Trials
While most clinical trials are still in their early stages of research and development, they are promising forms of treatment that are currently being heavily studied in order to help cancer patients
Gene Therapy
This form of treatment uses genes that are specifically designed to treat diseases like cancer. By inserting them directly into the cells, they are able to effectively kill cancerous cells during pre or post-surgery stages.
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
HIFU uses highly focused ultrasound waves to eradicate or vaporize cancerous cells by increasing the temperature of the cells to very intense levels for a short period of time.
Facts about Prostate Cancer
- Men who are obese have higher rates for prostate cancer and an increased chance of death from it.
- Men who are 40 years of age and older have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
- Is a type of cancer that many believe only affects men, but there is a small group of women who are able to develop it as well.
- Almost every nation has a specialized Cancer Society to provide patients and their families information on prostate cancer, help them understand the disease; provide support while also helping research and development for new methods of treatment.
- Anyone who has a diet high in animal fat or alcohol, are more susceptible to prostate cancer.
