Prostate Cancer: Symptoms, Causes & Risk Factors, Treatment & Diagnosis
What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a common form of cancer in men, however, it is highly treatable in the early stages. It starts in the prostate gland, which sits among the penis and the bladder.
Prostate cancer is the most common most cancer affecting men in the world. Around 1 in 9 men will receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer at some point in their life. However, only 1 in 40 of those will die because of it.
This is because the treatment is effective, mainly in the early stages. Routine screening enables medical doctors to detect many cases of prostate cancer earlier than they spread.
Symptoms of Prostate cancer
There are frequently no signs and symptoms during the early stages of prostate cancer, but screening can detect changes that could indicate cancer.
Screening involves a test that measures levels of PSA within the blood. High levels advise that cancer can be present.
Males who do experience signs and symptoms may also notice:
- blood in the urine or semen
- painful urination
- in a few cases, pain on ejaculation
- difficulty starting and maintaining urination
- a frequent urge to urinate, mainly at night
- problem getting or maintaining an erection
- pain or discomfort when sitting, if the prostate is enlarged
Advanced prostate cancer can contain the following signs and symptoms:
- tiredness
- changes in bowel habits
- back pain
- bone fracture or bone pain, particularly in the hips, thighs, or shoulders
- edema or swelling in the legs and feet
- weight loss
Causes
Doctors know that prostate cancer occurs when prostate cells change their DNA. The DNA of a cell contains instructions that order the cell what to do. These changes cause cells to grow and divide faster than normal cells. Continue to exist when other cells die.
The accumulation of abnormal cells forms tumors that can grow and invade nearby tissues. Over time, some abnormal cells may shed and spread (transfer) to other parts of the body.
Risk factors
Factors that can increase your chance or risk of prostate cancer:
Older age: Your risk of prostate cancer will increase as you age. It’s most common after age 50.
Race: For motives not but determined, Black humans have a more risk of prostate cancer than do humans of other races. In Black humans, prostate cancer is likewise more likely to be aggressive or advanced.
Family history: If a blood relative, consisting of a parent, sibling, or child, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your chance can be increased. Also, when you have a family record of genes that grow the risk of breast cancer (BRCA1 or BRCA2) or a completely strong family history of breast cancer, your hazard of prostate cancer can be higher.
Obesity: People who’re obese may also have a higher chance of prostate cancer as compared with humans taken into consideration to have a wholesome weight, even though studies have had combined results. In overweight humans, cancer is more likely to be more aggressive and more likely to go back after initial treatment.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will begin by asking detailed questions about your signs and symptoms and doing a physical examination. This preliminary exam is probably to consist of:
Digital rectal exam: The health practitioner inserts a finger into the rectum to test your prostate for enlargement.
Urine test: Analyzing a sample of your urine can assist rule out an infection or different situations which can cause similar signs and symptoms.
Blood test: The outcomes can indicate kidney issues.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test: Prostate-specific antigen is a substance produced by your prostate. PSA levels grow if you have an enlarged prostate. However, elevated PSA levels also can be because of recent procedures, infection, surgical treatment, or prostate cancer.
After that, your health practitioner might suggest additional tests to help confirm an enlarged prostate and to rule out other situations. These tests consist of:
- Urinary flow test: You urinate right into a receptacle attached to a machine that measures the energy and amount of your urine flow. Test outcomes help determine over time if your condition is getting better or worse.
- Postvoid residual volume test: This test measures whether you may empty your bladder completely. The test may be done using ultrasound or through inserting a catheter into your bladder when you urinate to measure how a lot of urine is left to your bladder.
- 24-hour voiding diary: Recording the frequency and quantity of urine might be especially useful if more than 1/3 of your everyday urinary output happens at night.
If your condition is more complex, your medical doctor may also advise:
- Transrectal ultrasound: An ultrasound probe is inserted into your rectum to measure and compare your prostate.
- Prostate biopsy: Transrectal ultrasound guides needles are used to take tissue samples (biopsies) of the prostate. Examining the tissue can assist your health practitioner to diagnose or rule out prostate cancer.
- Urodynamic and pressure-flow research: The catheter is inserted into the bladder through the urethra. Water — or, much less commonly, air — is slowly injected into your bladder. Your medical doctor can then measure bladder pressure and determine how properly your bladder muscles are working. This research is normally used only in men with suspected neurological problems and in guys who’ve had a previous prostate procedure and still have signs and symptoms.
- Cystoscopy: A lighted, bendy instrument (cystoscope) is inserted into your urethra, allowing your medical doctor to see inner your urethra and bladder. You can be given a local anesthetic earlier than this test.
Treatments
A various type of treatments is to be had for enlarged prostate, which includes medication, minimally invasive therapies, and surgical treatment. The best remedy choice for you relies upon several factors, which include:
- The length of your prostate
- Your age
- Your overall health
- The quantity of discomfort or bother you’re experiencing
If your signs and symptoms are tolerable, you would possibly determine to postpone treatment and simply screen your signs and symptoms. For a few men, signs can ease without treatment.
