08/06/2017
June is Men's Health Month.
We start with information on PROSTATE CANCER, a very common cancer in Men.
ALL MEN FROM AGE 50 SHOULD VISIT THEIR DOCTOR, ONCE PER YEAR, FOR TESTING/SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER.
EARLY DETECTION OF PROSTATE CANCER CAN LEAD TO VERY SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT.
DEFINITION
Cancer of the prostate is extremely common. Cancer is found in 50 percent of men over age 70, and in virtually all
men over age 90. Most of these cancers never cause symptoms, because they spread very slowly; however,
some prostate cancers do grow more aggressively and spread throughout the body.
HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?
A cancer of the prostate which is causing symptoms, should be treated. Most urologists will tend to treat larger
areas of malignancy, which have been found incidentally during a prostate operation. The symptoms that may
occur, loosely termed “prostatism”, include a poor urinary flow, an inability to empty the bladder fully, and a need to
wait for the urinary flow to commence. Because the bladder never empties fully, urine may need to be passed very
frequently. If the cancer has spread, it usually affects the bones of the spine, causing back pain. Prostate cancer
may also spread to the brain, causing seizures, confusion, and other mental or neurological symptoms. The
diagnosis may be suggested by the findings on re**al examination. (1)
Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) is a substance that is usually elevated in people with prostate cancer, but it is
also elevated in people with benign prostatic hypertrophy. This test misses about one third of prostate cancers (a
false-negative result), and about 60 percent of the time indicates cancer when there is none (false-positive result).
CAUSES
The cause of cancer of the prostate is not known. There seems to be no particular factor which predisposes a man
to this cancer. Because the disease can be treated by hormones, some kind of hormone change with age may be
the cause.
