INTRODUCTION:

Prostate cancer is the most common cases of cancer diseases among men. According to medical research, there are more than 100,000 in the population of United States have the case of prostate cancer. And the probability of survival rate is very limited because of so many causes as well as the early detection of the cancer cells. Perhaps you wonder how this cancer develops, well for you to know, cancer develops in the prostate gland. This kind of gland is located at the very base of base of the urinary bladder.

This is the only gland of the men that surrounds the big part of the urethra, in which this is the passage way of urine from the bladder down to the penis. In the male’s reproductive organ, prostate gland is very important because it is the one who controls the urination, by constricting the glands around the urethra. Also, the prostate gland is the responsible in producing the substances like sugar and minerals found in the semen, a fluid that helps transporting the sperm cells during reproduction. Any problem with man’s prostate gland will create a serious condition like painful urination, benign prostatic hyperplasia and other medical condition. Problems like should take it seriously and seek immediate medical attention in order to have early detection and proper treatment.

Causes, Incidence and Risk Factors:

Having prostate cancer is very serious condition that needs immediate intervention. A prostate cancer is a cancerous tumor cells that tremendously grows in the prostate gland then later on if not treated will spread to the nearest glands that will cause biggest problem in the health of a patient having this. The main cause of prostate cancer is still unknown however there are risk factors that predispose to this kind of condition.

First of the list is family history. Men with have family history of prostate cancer have a great risk of acquiring this disease. That is why, genetic tendency is carefully review so that it is well assess and to come up to a detailed data gathering for the right and successful management. Second risk factor is age. Most prostate cancer patient are diagnose in their advancing age specifically during their 50’s. Furthermore, other studies also claimed that having exposed to certain medications like statins, a cholesterol lowering drugs and viral infections found to be contributes to have prostate cancer. These criteria have significant contributions in explain the pathophysiology of the prostate cancer and later on this will connect on the clinical manifestations once the disease is diagnosed.

SYMPTOMS:

When you study the male’s anatomy, you will find that prostate gland is lying under the pelvis that surrounds the urethra. Any problems in the prostate gland like having prostate cancer will create certain manifestations involving the functions of the urinary tract system as well as the male’s reproductive functioning. Why? It’s because once the prostate gland gets enlarge, its enlargement will affects the urination of the patient. These will create problems like dysuria or having difficulty upon urination, there is also hematuria or presence of blood in the urine, also there is difficulty in starting urination as well as maintaining a steady stream of urine and lastly the patient also suffers nocturia or increases urination at night.

On the other hand, it is not only the urination functioning is affected, but also the ejaculation and erectile function as well. That is why, patient is having erectile dysfunction and there is also a painful ejaculation afterwards. Moreover, once the cancer cells spreads to the nearest body parts, new problems will also arises. Most common manifestations when the metastasis is present are bone pain, fecal incontinence as well as spinal cord compression. If these happen, you should seek immediate medical attention in order to relieve this discomfort and prevent further complications.

DIAGNOSIS:

Patience having prostate cancer is diagnosed carefully. This will be done by having early detection of cancer cells in the prostate gland. First, the prostate cancer is diagnosed by biopsy or removing a small portion of the prostate for microscopic examination in order to study any malignant cells. This test is very reliable because it certainly confirmed the diagnosis. Second test is the use of transurethral ultrasonography. This kind of test shows pictures of the prostate with the use of probe inserted in the rectum producing sound waves. This will evaluate the anatomy of the prostate gland and examined if there are abnormalities in it.

Third, is the use of direct rectal examination, this will done by inserting the fingers of the physician into the rectum and detect any abnormalities in the prostate. Fourth, cystoscopy evaluation, this is done by inserting a flexible, thin camera tube that will show the urinary tract starting from the bladder down to the urethra. And lastly, prostate specific antigen is also use to detect any cancer cells in the prostate gland because PSA is increased in the blood content with men having prostate cancer.

Usually these test is commonly perform once there is a suspected malignancy in the said gland. Once this diagnostics procedure is performed and the diagnosis is confirmed then the health care provider together with the patient will collaborate each other to the treatment regimen that needs to undergo so that both parties are aware in each phase of treatments and have a successful prognosis at the end.       

TREATMENT:

Once the diagnosis is confirmed, doctors should develop immediate treatment plan regarding the condition of the patient. Always remember that, in giving care to the cancer patient, it is very important to include them in planning the treatment so that they will be aware of the procedures that will performed on their behalf. And proper explanations of care towards the patient will promote clear understanding and cooperation as well as minimizing discomfort on their part.

In the treatment plan, in order to eliminate cancer cells there are certain medications that prevent cancer cells to reproduce. The use of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor and finasteride reduces the incidence of prostate cancer by up to 35% without metastasizing to other parts of the body. Another treatment with having prostate cancer is chemotherapy; this is very helpful in eliminating cancer cell growth by minimizing reproduction of newly cell growth. Aside from that it is very helpful also during advance cancer in the prostate.

However, the side effects of having chemotherapy like hair loss, nausea, vomiting and mouth sores will be experience but, these are all temporarily experience by the patient undergoing chemotherapy. Brachytherapy is also one of the treatment procedures in managing prostate cancer. This involves radiation that has implanted seeds in order to kill the cancer cells and eliminate cell growth. Furthermore, this procedure is more effective for those younger patients and has only localized prostate cancer.

Another procedure would be hormonal therapy, this will block, suppress and eliminate testosterone hormone to produce for it is the responsible in the tumor’s growth. Once the testosterone hormone is block there would be no tumor growth thus preventing the tumor to grow fast and metastasize. And lastly, surgery is the best method to eliminate cancer cells. The surgery like prostatectomy, a procedure that involves removal of the prostate gland by surgical incision will help in eliminating further proliferation of the tumor cells. Studies show that prostatectomy accounts to 90% success rate when it comes to survival tendency.  

PREVENTION:

Prevention is very important to prevent major problems in the future. Remember that prevention is better than cure so men with have familial tendency to have greater risk in developing prostate cancer should have early screening in order to detect early the disease. When men reach the age of 40’s they should start undergoes screening by direct rectal examination and the like in order to evaluate the status of the prostate gland. Regular exercise and balance diet are very important in the prevention stage. If you are a chain smoker, it is the right time to stop that habit in order to prevent certain diseases to appear. A change of lifestyle is the key to a healthier body. Put this in mind that avoiding these risk factors will eliminate the risk of having prostate cancer.

CONCLUSION:

Prostate cancer is a serious disease that needs to treat immediately. That is why, as a patient, you will be responsible in taking care of your health and never take for granted any forms of manifestations like pain or discomfort that is felt because you didn’t know maybe there are underlying problems in the body. So, prevention is the key to avoid this to happen, have a general check up annually or every 6 months to have proper evaluation regarding the overall health aspects.

Also, change your lifestyle habit, always live a life with have an active lifestyle, regular exercise and balance diet because these will promote wellness and healthy body. In case of having a familial history regarding prostate cancer, have a routine checkup annually in an early age in order to have an early detection if ever cancer cells are present and also, these will be a good opportunity to treat the cancer immediately so that the survival rate would be higher and good prognosis will be achieved.

If you seriously value your health, you should also know what is prostate cancer and how can it be prevented. Cancer of the prostate occurs when the prostate of the male is affected by an abnormal blood cell that can be benign or malignant. If the cancer cell spreads all over the body, the person will not be able to cope well because of the various signs and symptoms that he is experiencing.

Bear in mind that cancer is also considered to be a killer disease since it is one of the most leading causes of health related deaths. For you to be able to prevent this kind of cancer, it is important that you undergo a regular medical checkup for early detection and treatment if in case you have this health condition. The most common question about almost every type of illness and disease is who is at risk?

In the case of prostate cancer, we can safely say that it is only men who are at risk in this life-threatening disease. 70% of patients of this disease are adult males, 65 years old and above. Study shows that, African American men are more susceptible to this disease than men of other races. The cases of this illness also differ from populations to population around the world.

Prostate cancer is not a death sentence, especially if you are equipped with all the knowledge you might need to detect it early. As with all cancers, the earlier you catch it the better. Cancer isn’t the death sentence it once was, with millions of people leading fulfilled lives while conquering prostate cancer.