Important Facts About Prostate Cancer
In most men, prostate cancer grows very slowly:most men will never know they have this condition.
Men have traditionally been less likely to seek medical attention than women, especially for minor problems, which often serve as warning signs for more serious underlying illness.
The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man's reproductive system; it wraps around the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine out of the body.
Like other cancers, the cause of prostate cancer is not known; it appears to be more common in African American men and men with a family history of the disease.
You may have just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and don't know what to do; the first thing to do is not to panic.
The main job of the prostate gland is to make seminal fluid, the milky substance that transports sperm.
Symptoms might include unintentional weight loss and lethargy.
There are several symptoms to be aware of.
There may be other symptoms not mentioned here.
One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate at all.
One symptom is a need to urinate frequently, especially during the night.
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease are bone pain or tenderness, and abdominal pain.
A urinalysis may indicate if there is blood in the urine.
A number of tests may be done to confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Also urine or prostatic fluid cytology may reveal unusual cells.
There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer.
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities.
A chest x-ray may be done to see if there's a spread of cancer.
Be aware that urinary incontinence can be a possible complication of surgery.
The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms.
Medications can have many side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire.
Some drugs with numerous side effects are being used to treat advanced prostate cancer, blocking the production of testosterone, called chemical castration; it has the same result as surgical removal of the testes.
Recent improvements in surgical procedures have made complications occur less often.
Treatment options can vary based on the stage of the tumor.
In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor.
Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis.
Many men simply want the best treatment they can get but what's really important is picking the best treatment for you.
Other medications used for hormonal therapy, with side effects, include androgen-blocking agents, which prevent testosterone from attaching to prostate cells.
Surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, removes the entire prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissues.
Chemotherapy medications are often used to treat prostate cancers that are resistant to hormonal treatments.
Side effects of the chemotherapy drugs depend on which ones you're taking and how often and how long they're taken.
Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread.
Consider sites, such as this one, just a starting point where you can begin to learn about prostate cancer and its prevention and treatment.
It's important to get as informed, learn as much as possible and read all the newest books, ebooks and research available.
If you haven't been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you should call for an appointment to see your doctor; and if you're a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, all the more reason to make an appointment soon.
Men have traditionally been less likely to seek medical attention than women, especially for minor problems, which often serve as warning signs for more serious underlying illness.
The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man's reproductive system; it wraps around the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine out of the body.
Like other cancers, the cause of prostate cancer is not known; it appears to be more common in African American men and men with a family history of the disease.
You may have just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and don't know what to do; the first thing to do is not to panic.
The main job of the prostate gland is to make seminal fluid, the milky substance that transports sperm.
Symptoms might include unintentional weight loss and lethargy.
There are several symptoms to be aware of.
There may be other symptoms not mentioned here.
One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate at all.
One symptom is a need to urinate frequently, especially during the night.
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease are bone pain or tenderness, and abdominal pain.
A urinalysis may indicate if there is blood in the urine.
A number of tests may be done to confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Also urine or prostatic fluid cytology may reveal unusual cells.
There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer.
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities.
A chest x-ray may be done to see if there's a spread of cancer.
Be aware that urinary incontinence can be a possible complication of surgery.
The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms.
Medications can have many side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire.
Some drugs with numerous side effects are being used to treat advanced prostate cancer, blocking the production of testosterone, called chemical castration; it has the same result as surgical removal of the testes.
Recent improvements in surgical procedures have made complications occur less often.
Treatment options can vary based on the stage of the tumor.
In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor.
Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis.
Many men simply want the best treatment they can get but what's really important is picking the best treatment for you.
Other medications used for hormonal therapy, with side effects, include androgen-blocking agents, which prevent testosterone from attaching to prostate cells.
Surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, removes the entire prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissues.
Chemotherapy medications are often used to treat prostate cancers that are resistant to hormonal treatments.
Side effects of the chemotherapy drugs depend on which ones you're taking and how often and how long they're taken.
Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread.
Consider sites, such as this one, just a starting point where you can begin to learn about prostate cancer and its prevention and treatment.
It's important to get as informed, learn as much as possible and read all the newest books, ebooks and research available.
If you haven't been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you should call for an appointment to see your doctor; and if you're a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, all the more reason to make an appointment soon.
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