Cancer of the Prostate

The prostate gland is one of the many glands in a male body. It is located in the lower abdomen between the rectum and the bladder, and it surrounds part of the urethra. In combination with the testicles and the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland secretes the fluid that makes up semen. It is normally about three centimeters long in younger men, but grows as men get past the age of fifty.

Cancer is when normal cells undergo a transformation and start to grow out of control. As these abnormal cells grow they form a mass called a tumor. Some cancer tumors are benign; that means they do not invade nearby tissues. Cancer tumors that are malignant spread into other tissues, organs and areas of the body in a process that is called metastasis. Malignant cancer cells take the oxygen and nutrients that healthy cells need to grow and function. In the United States, prostate cancer is a common form of cancer among men and is diagnosed in about 200,000 men every year, causing the death of about 30,000 men per year. Prostate cancer affects twice as many African-American men as white men although doctors do no know the reason for this.

A tumor in the prostate gland, whether it is benign or malignant, can interfere with the urinary tract system as well as normal sexual functioning. The first signs of a tumor can be difficulty urinating, painful urination, or erectile sexual dysfunction (the inability to get or maintain an erection). If a man gets regular check-ups from his doctor which include blood tests, the first sign may be in increase in levels of the protein: prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Normal levels are 4ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter) and higher levels will require further tests to determine if cancer is present.

When a high level of PSA has been found in the blood test, the doctor will locate the tumor and perform a biopsy; he will cut a tiny amount of tissue from the area and send it to a laboratory for tests. The results of these tests will determine if the tumor is malignant or not. The results will also allow the doctor to rate the tumor according to medically recognized stages which take into consideration the tumor’s size, speed of growth, and whether or not other areas in the body are infected. Depending on the stage the tumor is in, treatment will be prescribed. Some tumors, especially in older men, are so slow growing that they do not represent a serious health threat. In this case, or if the general health of the patient is not good, treatment may not be recommended. However, the patient’s condition needs to be monitored for any changes in the tumor or the spread of the cancer.

The decision about which treatment will be administered depends on the stage of the cancer. Early stage cancer is treated with one or more of the following: surgery, cryosurgery, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), brachytherapy (an internal radiation therapy), or hormone therapy. Later stage cancers are generally treated without surgery; this is because the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues and is not in an area which can be removed. The other forms of treatment such as external or internal radiation and/or hormone therapy.

Side effects of these treatments can include diarrhea, irritated bowels, fatigue and discomfort when urinating, but they are generally temporary. Other side effects which can be chronic and actually worsen as time goes on include: urinary incontinence (the inability to hold the urine in) and impotence (the inability to get an erection). New advancements in the treatment of prostate cancer may limit these side effects in the future.

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