| Prostatic cancer is the most common cancer in men | | | | Risk factors for prostate cancer include diets high in |
| over the age of fifty. | | | | fat and low in vegetables. Risk factors include; age, |
| Adenocarcinoma is the most common form. | | | | 75% of cases are in men over 65 years and familial |
| Prostate cancers seldom produce symptoms until the | | | | sufferers. Prostate cancer is most often discovered |
| cancer is in the advanced stage so early diagnosis is | | | | by physical examination or by screening blood tests, |
| essential as in the early stages the disease is curable. | | | | such as the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test. |
| Location and Function | | | | The PSA test measures the blood level of |
| The Prostate is an organ forming part of the male | | | | prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme produced by |
| reproductive system. It is located immediately below | | | | the prostate. The risk of prostate cancer increases |
| the bladder and just in front of the bowel. Its main | | | | with increasing PSA levels. |
| function is to produce fluid which protects and | | | | The majority of men who reach age 85, in fact, |
| enriches sperm. | | | | have cancerous prostate cells, but the disease is |
| In younger men the prostate is about the size of a | | | | developing so gradually that it never threatens their |
| walnut. It is doughnut shaped as it surrounds the | | | | quality of life. |
| beginning of the urethra, the tube that conveys urine | | | | Genetic factors play a role, particularly for families in |
| from the bladder to the penis. The nerves that | | | | whom the diagnosis is made in men under 60 years |
| control erections surround the prostate. | | | | of age, and the risk of prostate cancer rises with the |
| Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer | | | | number of close relatives who have the disease. |
| Â- Waking frequently at night to urinate | | | | Preventative measures |
| Â- Sudden or urgent need to urinate | | | | Researchers at Harvard University found that men |
| Â- Difficulty in starting to urinate | | | | who ate cooked tomatoes or foods made with them |
| Â- Slow flow of urine and difficulty in stopping | | | | (tomato sauce or ketchup, for instance) more than |
| Â- Discomfort when urinating | | | | twice a week were less likely to develop prostate |
| Â- Painful ejaculation | | | | cancer. |
| Â- Blood in the urine or semen | | | | Daily use of anti-inflammatory medicines such as |
| Â- Decrease in libido (sex urge) | | | | aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen may decrease |
| Â- Reduced ability to get an erection | | | | prostate cancer risk. |
| Most men tend to accept the onset of one or more | | | | Frequent ejaculations also seem to have a definite |
| of these symptoms as being a natural consequence | | | | protective effect against Prostrate cancer. |
| of ageing. However, anyone experiencing any of the | | | | Many prostate cancers are not destined to be lethal, |
| above symptoms is advised to consult a doctor | | | | and most men will ultimately die from causes other |
| without delay. Early expert diagnosis and treatment | | | | than of the disease. Because many prostate tumors |
| of tumors is important and may avert potentially | | | | are slow growing, survival rates are excellent when |
| serious health consequences. | | | | the disease is detected in its early stages. |
| Prostate carcinoma is usually one of the slower | | | | Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer |
| growing cancers. In the past, it was most frequently | | | | The most appropriate treatment is primarily |
| encountered in men over 70, and many of those | | | | determined by the stage and aggressiveness (how |
| men died of other causes before their prostate | | | | quickly it is growing and spreading) of the disease |
| tumour could kill them. This led to the old saying | | | | when it is discovered. Detecting prostate cancer early |
| "most men die with, not of, prostrate cancer". | | | | is the key to beating the disease. |
| However, that is certainly is not true today. Three | | | | Many factors affect the decision whether or not to |
| developments have changed things considerably: | | | | treat the disease: the patient's age, whether the |
| Â- Men are living longer, giving the cancer | | | | cancer has spread, the presence of other medical |
| more time to spread beyond the prostate, with | | | | conditions, and the patient's overall health. |
| potentially fatal consequences. | | | | Treatment for prostate cancer may involve watchful |
| Â- More men in their early sixties, fifties and | | | | waiting, surgery, radiation therapy including |
| even forties are being detected with prostate cancer. | | | | brachytherapy and external beam radiation, High |
| Earlier on-set, combined with the greater male life | | | | Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), chemotherapy, |
| expectancy, means those cancers have more time | | | | cryosurgery, hormonal therapy, or some combination. |
| to spread and become life-threatening unless | | | | Because all treatments can have significant side |
| diagnosed and treated. | | | | effects, such as erectile dysfunction and urinary |
| Â- Prostate cancer in younger men often | | | | incontinence, treatment discussions often focus on |
| tends to be more aggressive and hence more | | | | balancing the goals of therapy with the risks of |
| life-threatening within a shorter time. | | | | lifestyle alterations. Natural treatments for prostate |
| Risk Factors and PSA Testing | | | | cancer symptoms are also worth looking at. |