Prostate cancer is a cancer that affects man’s prostate gland. Prostate gland which looks like a small walnut occurs only in men. This is a part of the reproductive system of men that is enclosed around the urethra which carries the urine from going out of the body. Prostate cancer is the most common occurrence of cancer that affects only in men. There is a prostate cancer that is called the aggressive type wherein it spreads rapidly but most often, cancer cells will grow slowly and then remain confined in the prostate gland wherein it may cause minimal harm. To avoid further harm, early detection should be performed once men reach the age of 40 or before they reach the age of 50. Early detection has a good chance of 70% recovery rate.
As of now, the exact cause of prostate cancer is still unknown. Doctors said that the cancer begins when some cells in the prostrate begin to show abnormalities. The transformation in the DNA of the abnormal cells causes the rapid growth and division of the cells than the normal cells. The abnormal cells will continue to grow and this accumulated cells form a tumor that affects the nearby tissues. Some of these abnormal cells tend to break off causing to spread in the other parts of the body.
Prostate cancer may not display any signs or symptoms during the early stages. This is the reason why men at the age of 40 should have themselves examined especially if they experienced even the slightest difficulty in urinating. The signs and symptoms that need to be addressed are:
- Frequency in urinating
- Urgency in urinating
- Difficulty in starting urinating
- Blood in the semen or urine
- Pain when ejaculating
- Pain or tenderness felt in the lower back and the pelvic bones (this is felt when the cancer spreads through the body)
Even though the prostate cancer symptoms will appear to be light or very minimal it must be addressed as soon as it is felt.
Actually, there are many treatments available for prostate cancer but there are important factors that need to be considered like the age and the overall health. You should ask your doctor regarding the different prostate cancer treatment options that is best for you. You may be inclined to undergo a hormone therapy or a careful follow up with your doctor first before you may even consider treatments like surgery and radiation which have the tendency to cause side effects. If the patient is younger and still healthy, he might consider other treatments if he is willing to endure the side effects but offers greater chance of cure. Doctors believe that the treatments like radical prostatectomy, external radiation and radioactive implants (Brachytherapy) gives the same rate of cure during the early stage of prostate cancer.
Newer methods of surgery and radiation therapy have complicated the issues of the side effects but appear to give promising results. It would be advisable if you get more than one medical opinion from the different types of doctors. Getting the opinion of different doctors may help you in sorting out which treatment would be best for you.