Prostate
cancer is a malignant (cancerous)
tumor (growth) that is made up of cells from the prostate
gland. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American
men and the second highest cause of deaths from cancer,
after lung cancer. It is a complex disease that predominantly
affects older men and is normally one of the more slowly
growing cancers.
Cancer
is most frequently caused by injury to one or more of a
cell's genes. Cancer cells that get to be very abnormal
can break off from a tumor and spread (also known as metastasize).
Cancer cells that spread to other areas of the body can
create tumors that can grow and squeeze other body parts.
Cancer that develops in the prostate may stay localized
(solely contained within the prostate) for years and cause
few noticeable symptoms.
Prostate
cancer doesn't occur overnight but slowly emerges over
time as a result of progressive changes in cell structure
and behavior. It is found more in some racial and ethnic
groups than in others, though medical experts don't understand
why. Prostate cancer is more commonplace among African American
men than among white men. Men with a family link to prostate
cancer through brothers or fathers also are at a greater
risk of getting the disease under 50.
Prostate
Cancer Treatment
Treatment
is individual to every case and some types of prostatitis
can be harder to treat, especially if symptoms have been
ignored over a long period of time. Treatments vary and
can including antibiotics, non steroid anti-inflammatory
agents, muscle relaxants and often medications for chronic
pain.
Treatment
can bestow extra years of life for the patients and stop
the agony of the disease, but cannot ordinarily cure them.
Prostate problems can usually be treated without affecting
sexual performance. Treatment for prostate cancer works
best as long as the disease is found early. Treatment is
painless, though some men may experience diarrhea, urinary
problems and dry skin. It will be up to your attending physician
to choose which treatment options will work best.
Prostate
Cancer Detective work
Researchers
at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, have found
that the hormone estrogen plays a major part in about half
of all prostate cancers. They have isolated the first mutant
gene known to raise the risk of prostate cancer, possibly
by so much as three times. Research continues to better
comprehend the link between genetic mutations and prostate
cancer.
Prostate
Cancer Symptoms
Symptoms
caused by enlarged prostate growth can embody:
Difficulty
when passing urine
The need to urinate more often, especially at night
Blood in the urine
Painful sensations when passing urine
Pain in the back and/or pelvis linked with urinary problems.
Symptoms of prostate cancer don't normally appear until
the cancer is in it's advanced stages.
Prostate
cancer isn't always an aggressive disease and is very rare
in men under 50. Prostate cancer is unlike
any other cancer because it is relatively slow-growing and
though it can kill, it often isn't lethal.
