WHAT IS THE STATE OF YOUR PROSTATE?
A Time Bomb In Men's Plumbing System
The word
"prostate" comes from Medieval Latin prostate and Medieval French
prostate. The ancient Greek word prostates means "one standing in
front", from proistanai meaning "set before". The prostate is so
called because of its position - it is at the base of the bladder.
Prostate
cancer is a disease which only affects men. After non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate
cancer is the most common cancer among men.
Prostate
cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among men of all races.
According
to the American Cancer Society about 2 men in 7 will be diagnosed with prostate
cancer during his lifetime.
Prostate
cancer mainly occurs in older men - about 6 cases in 10 are diagnosed in men 65
years or older. It's also surprising to know that it's becoming common with men
under the age of 40 years now
Almost all
prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas - cancers that begin in cells that make
and release mucus and other fluids.
Prostate
cancer often has no early symptoms.
Advanced
prostate cancer can cause men to urinate more often or have a weaker flow of
urine.
Most men
diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. More than 2.9 million men in
the US diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
What is the
prostate?
The
prostate is an exocrine gland of the male reproductive system, and exists
directly under the bladder, in front of the rectum. An exocrine gland is one
whose secretions end up outside the body e.g. prostate gland and sweat glands.
It is approximately the size of a walnut.
The urethra
- a tube that goes from the bladder to the end of the penis and carries urine
and semen out of the body - goes through the prostate.
There are
thousands of tiny glands in the prostate - they all produce a fluid that forms
part of the semen. This fluid also protects and nourishes the sperm. When a
male has an orgasm the seminal-vesicles secrete a milky liquid in which the
semen travels. The liquid is produced in the prostate gland, while the sperm is
kept and produced in the testicles. When a male climaxes (has an orgasm)
contractions force the prostate to secrete this fluid into the urethra and
leave the body through the penis.
Urine Control
As the
urethra goes through the prostate: the prostate gland is also involved in urine
control (continence) with the use of prostate muscle fibers. These muscle
fibers in the prostate contract and release, controlling the flow of urine
flowing through the urethra.
In the vast
majority of cases, the prostate cancer starts in the gland cells - this is called
adenocarcinoma. In this article, prostate cancer refers just to adenocarcinoma.
Prostate
cancer is mostly a very slow progressing disease. In fact, many men die of old
age, without ever knowing they had prostate cancer - it is only when an autopsy
is done that doctors know it was there. Several studies have indicated that
perhaps about 80% of all men in their eighties had prostate cancer when they
died, but nobody knew, not even the doctor.
Experts say
that prostate cancer starts with tiny alterations in the shape and size of the
prostate gland cells - Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN).
Doctors say
that nearly 50% of all 50-year-old men have PIN. The cells are still in place -
they do not seem to have moved elsewhere - but the changes can be seen under a
microscope. Cancer cells would have moved into other parts of the prostate.
Doctors describe these prostate gland cell changes as low-grade or high-grade;
high grade is abnormal while low-grade is more-or-less normal.
Any patient
who was found to have high-grade PIN after a prostate biopsy is at a
significantly greater risk of having cancer cells in his prostate. Because of
this, doctors will monitor him carefully and possibly carry out another biopsy
later.
The
Prostate Produces Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
The
epithelial cells in the prostate gland produce a protein called PSA
(prostate-specific antigen). The PSA helps keep the semen in its liquid state.
Some of the PSA escapes into the bloodstream. We can measure a man's PSA levels
by checking his blood. If a man's levels of PSA are high, it might be an indication
of either prostate cancer or some kind of prostate condition.
It is a
myth to think that a high blood-PSA level is harmful to you - it is not. High
blood PSA levels are however an indication that something may be wrong in the
prostate.
Male
hormones affect the growth of the prostate, and also how much PSA the prostate
produces. Medications aimed at altering male hormone levels may affect PSA
blood levels. If male hormones are low during a male's growth and during his
adulthood, his prostate gland will not grow to full size.
In some
older men the prostate may continue to grow, especially the part that is around
the urethra. This can make it more difficult for the man to pass urine as the
growing prostate gland may be causing the urethra to collapse. When the
prostate gland becomes too big in this way, the condition is called Benign
Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is not cancer, but must be treated.
Prostate
cancer
Classification
of Prostate Cancer
It is
important to know the stage of the cancer, or how far it has spread. Knowing
the cancer stage helps the doctor define prognosis - it also helps when
selecting which therapies to use. The most common system today for determining
this is the TNM (Tumor/Nodes/Metastases). This involves defining the size of
the tumor, how many lymph nodes are involved, and whether there are any other
metastases.
When
defining with the TNM system, it is crucial to distinguish between cancers that
are still restricted just to the prostate, and those that have spread
elsewhere. Clinical T1 and T2 cancers are found only in the prostate, and
nowhere else, while T3 and T4 have spread outside the prostate.
There are
many ways to find out whether the cancer has spread. Computer tomography will
check for spread inside the pelvis, bone scans will decide whether the cancer
has spread to the bones, and endorectal coil magnetic resonance imaging will
evaluate the prostatic capsule and the seminal vesicles. There are some sings and tests your doctor will run.
Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
During the
early stages of prostate cancer there are usually no symptoms. Most men at this
stage find out they have prostate cancer after a routine check up or blood
test. When symptoms do exist, they are usually one or more of the following:
Urine Control
In the vast
majority of cases, the prostate cancer starts in the gland cells - this is called
adenocarcinoma. In this article, prostate cancer refers just to adenocarcinoma.
Prostate
cancer is mostly a very slow progressing disease. In fact, many men die of old
age, without ever knowing they had prostate cancer - it is only when an autopsy
is done that doctors know it was there. Several studies have indicated that
perhaps about 80% of all men in their eighties had prostate cancer when they
died, but nobody knew, not even the doctor.
Experts say
that prostate cancer starts with tiny alterations in the shape and size of the
prostate gland cells - Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN).
Doctors say
that nearly 50% of all 50-year-old men have PIN. The cells are still in place -
they do not seem to have moved elsewhere - but the changes can be seen under a
microscope. Cancer cells would have moved into other parts of the prostate.
Doctors describe these prostate gland cell changes as low-grade or high-grade;
high grade is abnormal while low-grade is more-or-less normal.
Any patient
who was found to have high-grade PIN after a prostate biopsy is at a
significantly greater risk of having cancer cells in his prostate. Because of
this, doctors will monitor him carefully and possibly carry out another biopsy
later.
- The patient
urinates more often
- The patient
gets up at night more often to urinate
- He may find
it hard to start urinating
- He may find
it hard to keep urinating once he has started
- There may
be blood in the urine
- Urination
might be painful
- Ejaculation
may be painful (less common)
- Achieving
or maintaining an erection may be difficult (less common).
If the
prostate cancer is advanced, the following symptoms are also possible:
- Bone pain,
often in the spine (vertebrae), pelvis, or ribs
- The
proximal part of the femur can be painful
- Leg
weakness (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord)
- Urinary
incontinence (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord)
- Fecal
incontinence (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal
cord).
Causes of Prostate Cancer
Nobody is
really sure of what the specific causes are. There are so many possible
factors, including age, race, lifestyle, medications, and genetics, to name a
few.
1) Age
Age is
considered as the primary risk factor. The older a man is, the higher is his
risk. Prostate cancer is rare among men under the age of 45, but much more
common after the age of 50.
2) Genetics
Statistics
indicate that genetics is definitely a factor in prostate cancer risk. It is
more common among certain racial groups - in the USA prostate cancer is
significantly more common and also more deadly among Afro-Americans than
White-Americans. A man has a much higher risk of developing cancer if his
identical twin has it. A man whose brother or father had/had prostate cancer
runs twice the risk of developing it, compared to other men.
3) Diet
A review of
diets indicated that the Mediterranean diet may reduce a person's chances of
developing prostate cancer. Another study indicates that soy, selenium and
green tea, offer additional possibilities for disease prevention - however, a
more recent study indicated that combination therapy of vitamin E, selenium and
soy does not prevent the progression from high-grade prostatic intraepithelial
neoplasia (HGPIN) to prostate cancer. A diet high in vegetable consumption was
found in a study to be beneficial.
Other
studies have indicated that lack of vitamin D, a diet high in red meat may
raise a person's chances of developing prostate cancer.
4)
Medication
Some
studies say there might be a link between the daily use of anti-inflammatory
medicines and prostate cancer risk. A study found that statins, which are used
to lower cholesterol levels, may lower a person's risk of developing prostate
cancer.
5) Obesity
A study
found a clear link between obesity and raised prostate cancer risk, as well as
a higher risk of metastasis and death among obese people who develop prostate
cancer.
6) Sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs)
Men who
have had gonorrhea have a higher chance of developing prostate cancer,
according to research from the University of Michigan Health System.
7) Agent
Orange
Veterans
exposed to Agent Orange have a 48% higher risk of prostate cancer recurrence
following surgery than their unexposed peers, and when the disease comes back,
it seems more aggressive, researchers say. Another study found that Vietnam War
veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange have significantly increased
risks of prostate cancer and even greater risks of getting the most aggressive
form of the disease as compared to those who were not exposed.
8) Enzyme
PRSS3 Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Scientists
from the Mayo Clinic, Florida, reported in Molecular Cancer Research that
PRSS3, an enzyme, changes the environment of prostate cancer cells, making the
cancer much more likely to metastasize.
Senior
researcher, Evette Radisky, Ph.D., said "This molecule is a protease,
which means it digests other molecules. Our data suggests PRSS3 activity
changes the environment around prostate cancer cells - perhaps by freeing them
from surrounding tissue - to promote malignancy and invasiveness. I don't think
PRSS3 is the only factor involved in driving aggressive prostate cancer, but it
may be significant for a certain subset of this cancer - the kind that is
potentially lethal."
Among men
who have surgery for prostate cancer, those who have high total cholesterol and
triglyceride levels - two types of fat found in blood - may be at increased
risk of disease recurrence. This is according to a study published in the
journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Western
diet could be fatal for prostate cancer patients
A new study
has suggested that following a Western diet - high in red and processed meats,
refined grains and high-fat dairy products - could increase the risk of death
for people with prostate cancer from both prostate cancer and all causes.
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Sms, Call or Whatsapp +2340837864925.
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