What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among American men, with 180,000 cases a year diagnosed. It is a cancer which does not present early symptoms, so in order to diagnose it early in its development – giving the patient the best chance of successful treatment and long term survival – regular testing is vital.

The prostate gland is a walnut-sized gland situated just below the bladder. Its job is to create the white fluid in which sperm is suspended. Prostate cancer, while beginning in the prostate gland, can then spread to other parts of the body (doctors call this ‘metastasis’) such as the bones or lymph glands. Cancer is much more difficult to treat once it has spread to more than one place, so it’s important to detect and diagnose cancer early on.

If you are a young man you might not need to read much further; prostate cancer does not normally affect men under 40-45. Chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer increase markedly in men over 50, and particularly in the over-65s. That’s why annual testing is recommended for men over 50.

Men who have a history of prostate cancer in the family need to be particularly vigilant, as there appears to be a genetic predisposition to the cancer. Men of sub-Saharan African descent also appear to be at higher risk of prostate cancer than others.

While prostate cancer often doesn’t present symptoms, it can lead to difficulties in urination or ejaculation. Any man who is experiencing such difficulties, or an unusually frequent need to urinate, should consider having a check for prostate cancer whether he is in the main at-risk categories or not.

It may well be that the prostate cancer check identifies other issues such as prostatitis as being responsible for any urination or ejaculation difficulties. These can then be treated. Since they might, if untreated, give rise to more serious conditions, men should ensure that they don’t pass up the opportunity for a check.

There are two tests that can be used to indicate whether prostate cancer is likely to be present. The first is a digital rectal examination, in which the doctor will feel around the rectum to see if there are any hard lumps in the prostate which might indicate a tumor A rectal exam might also catch other health problems. Many men find it slightly embarrassing – however, if you’re one of them, remember it could save your life.

The other test is a PSA blood test, in which the blood is analyzed to see whether there is a high concentration of Prostate-Specific Antigens (PSAs) in the bloodstream. A higher percentage of PSA than normal could indicate a number of conditions, including prostate cancer.

The next step if either of these tests indicate the possible presence of cancer is a biopsy, in which a tiny sample of prostate tissue is taken for further analysis. This is an easy procedure which doesn’t require hospitalization and can be done in half an hour, though the laboratory analysis can take some time.

When caught early, prostate cancer can be successfully treated. If it has not spread to other organs, it is likely that surgical removal of the tumor together with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy will be successful in eradicating the cancer.

Men should also know that their lifestyle can greatly reduce their chances of developing prostate cancer. Eating more fruit and vegetables, and avoiding high fat foods such as dairy products and red meat, can reduce the chances of cancer significantly. Eating foods such as oily fish which are high in Omega-3 fatty acids has also been found to link to lower cancer rates.

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