Prostate Cancer Symptoms

If you have prostate cancer it is likely that you will have some issues with incontinence. Since the prostate is below the bladder it is responsible for helping the bladder to release urine using the urethra. When you have prostate problems, it is common for this gland to become swollen or enlarged making it painful for you to pass urine or you could end up having involuntarily urine loss. When the prostate is swollen and the urine has a harder time passing it will cause you to have urge incontinence (the sudden urge to urinate). Other individuals report that they feel the need to get up and urinate throughout the night several times or they are feeling that they need to urinate more frequently.

While the enlarged prostate is the leading indication that you may have prostate cancer there are some other symptoms that you need to be aware of like blood in the urine or semen, erectile dysfunction, bladder control problems, and pain in the lower back or hips.

What Will My Doctor Check For?

In order to know if you have prostate cancer your doctor will discuss the various symptoms that you have been struggling with. Then they will need to examine your prostate and will also do some urine tests and other laboratory tests. If you have had a loved one that had prostate cancer or prostate health problems you need to make sure you are getting checked out as you have a higher risk of getting prostate cancer. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is used to help the doctor determine if you have cancer of the prostate or not. This is a blood test that will look for a specific antigen and in some cases it will detect prostate health problems before you start having any of the common symptoms of prostate cancer.

Treatments to Consider

Depending upon your age, your doctor may not recommend that you jump into surgery or chemotherapy and instead opt for active surveillance. This is common for elderly males that likely will not be able to recover well from the surgery as their bodies are not healthy. When you are monitoring your condition you will check for any signs that the cancer is growing or changes in your prostate health. You may notice an increase in your incontinence episodes, which will require the help of some incontinence products like adult diapers to help you manage your condition. For many males with prostate cancer, it is a slowly growing form of cancer. So using active surveillance is the best route to avoid dealing with expensive surgery and other treatments that could end up shortening their lifespan.

Surgery is common for younger patients that are in good health. It is an invasive surgery that can take 6 weeks to 3 months before you recover from it. You will likely deal with incontinence after the surgery as you usually need to wear a catheter for a few weeks following the surgery. Wearing adult diapers can help to capture any urine that does leak from the body. There are other male incontinence products you can choose from that will make it easier for you to manage your problems with incontinence after the surgery.

Prostate Cancer Basics

The prostate is actually a male reproductive gland which is located in front of the rectum and below the bladder. Prostate cancer begins in the prostate but can spread to surrounding parts of the body, including the bones, lungs, and liver. Because of this danger, having regular screenings so any abnormalities can be detected is essential.

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Regular screenings are key to early detection as prostate cancer often presents with no detectable symptoms in the early stages. Other symptoms include:

- Frequent Urination
- Difficult Urination
- Painful Urination
- Urine May Contain Blood
- Persistent Bone Pain
- Pain in the Back, Hips, or Upper Thighs
- Swelling in the Legs

Treatment Options

Until very recently, men diagnosed with prostate cancer had few options, the most common of which, open prostatectomy, requiring major abdominal surgery. Today however, new advanced technologies afford patients a wide range of treatment options. Your doctor may suggest some of these options which are currently available:

- Hormone Treatment to Block the Production of Testosterone in Order to Slow the Cancer’s Growth Rate
- Radiation Therapy to Kill Cancer Cells
- Radioactive Seed Implants to Kill Cancer Cells
- Prostate Removal Via Open Prostatectomy
- Robotic Prostatectomy to Remove the Prostate

Advantages of Minimally Invasive Surgery

While the open prostatectomy procedure, which involves large incisions in the abdomen to reach the prostate, remains one of the most successful procedures, the new minimally invasive robotic prostatectomy sees widespread usage and tremendous advantage. The procedure is done using advanced robotic technologies including micro-surgical instruments, high-resolution cameras, and 90-degrees of articulation, fully controlled by the surgeon. Other advantages provided by robotic surgical techniques include:

- Improved Cancer Rates
- Smaller Incision
- Less Infection
- Little or No blood Loss
- No Transfusions
- Less Time Required for Procedure
- Less Pain
- Nerve-Sparing and Preserves Function
- Quick Recovery
- Rapid Urinary Control
- Reduced Incontinence Issues

Fortunately, with improved technologies and increased options, those facing prostate cancer treatment have many reasons for hope and confidence. The technologies used to treat cancer today afford patients fewer side effects and greater cure rates.

It’s somewhat true that sex can help in the prevention of this condition. It’s really simple, if you look at it closely. The fact is that the prostate has to be in good health to prevent prostate cancer. The enlargement and unhealthiness of the prostate is what usually contributes to this disease. It goes without saying, therefore, that keeping the prostate healthy and clean as much as possible will help prevent prostate and even other types of cancer.

If you are wondering what has sex got to do with keeping the prostate healthy and clean – keep reading. You see, the more you engage in sex, you kind of “clean out” your prostate. By having sex and ejaculating, you are “cleaning out” your prostate and this can help, somewhat, in preventing this disease.

Even though all of the health and prostate cancer experts haven’t accepted that sex can really help prevent prostate cancer, but lots of them opine that it can. But whether or not it can prevent prostate cancer, it really doesn’t hurt you to engage in healthy sex as often as you can. Note that I said – healthy sex – and that is sex with one partner or safe sex.

Conventional treatments for prostate cancer include surgery to remove the prostate gland or radiotherapy. These are aggressive options and complications including impotence and urinary incontinence can result from surgery, and the risk of secondary cancers is a concern since science already knows radiation exposure causes cancer.

The PSA blood test is another area of confusion. A report published in the June 2009 issue of “A Cancer Journal for Clinicians” shows routine PSA blood tests often result in over diagnosis of prostate cancer, which then results in unnecessary treatments. The PSA test can be deceptive. There can be different reasons for an elevated PSA level, including prostate cancer, benign prostate enlargement, inflammation, infection, age and race.

Prostate cancer is typically slow growing and is very much a disease that can be managed…if you make the appropriate lifestyle changes. Early detection is important and there are natural and nutritional agents that can help you to prevent and treat prostate cancer.

1. Get lots of sun exposure to drive up your vitamin D levels. A recent study found men with prostate cancer are seven times less likely to die if they have high levels of vitamin D.

2. A study conducted at the University of Illinois found a relationship between prostate cancer and the daily consumption of broccoli and tomatoes. These are natural lycopene foods, as are raspberries and watermelon, which contain compounds that can fight cancer.

3. Keep your insulin levels below three as high insulin levels drive and promote cancer.

4. Free radical damage from oxidative stress acquired through aging or exposure to cancer-causing substances is associated with an increase in a man’s risk for prostate cancer. Taking certain antioxidants, such as vitamin E, selenium and lycopene are thought to lower this risk.

5. We know that our diets are intimately linked to the formation of cancer, and yet most of us continue to eat poorly. One reason that a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables is cancer-preventative is due to its rich glyconutrient and phytochemical content. Studies in numerous scientific journals, including “Molecular Urology”, have shown that glyconutrients not only retarded human prostate cancer cell growth, but also encouraged their destruction. It is also believed that glyconutritional supplementation may enhance the effects of chemotherapy.

In 1995 to 2005, a randomized study was jointly conducted by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the United Kingdom Medical Research Council and the Southwest Oncology Group in the United States. 1,205 men with high risk prostate cancer in the United States, Canada and in United Kingdom were part of the study. These men were assigned with either receiving hormone therapy alone or a combined hormone therapy (with external beam radiation treatment). Follow ups were made among patients for an average of at least 6 years and findings from this study presents that adding radiation therapy significantly reduced the risk of death among the study group given with the combined therapy.

In another study report published by Bolla et al from an EORTC study in 1997 showed an increase in the probability of a progression-free and overall survival of European patients diagnosed with a locally advance prostate cancer high risk (T1-2 and T3-4NO-1MO) tumors. Patients who were given external beam radiation therapy plus an adjuvant hormonal therapy for three years showed an increase in survival rates compared to the patients who received external beam radiation therapy alone. Additional data from the American studies show similar results. According to this study, two to three years of hormone therapy combined with radiotherapy improves survival among patients but is accompanied by a number of adverse effects such as impotence, hot flashes and risk of acquiring heart attacks.

Horwitz et al reported a US study (RTOG 92-02) in 2008 that radiotherapy plus extended adjuvant hormone therapy for 28 months increased the probability of the disease-free survival and disease-specific survival rates among its study group. The group who received a combined therapy obtained a lower probability of a local progression of the prostate tumor and biochemical failure rates were also lowered. The combined therapy prevented further metastasis (spread) among its study group compared to the radiation therapy group. Overall the survival rates in this study showed an increase rates among patients with a pre-treatment Gleason score of 8-10 with no metastasis to the lymph node or the pelvis with a PSA level of 150 ng/ml and below.

Prostate cancer is believed to be caused by an exposure to the male hormones testosterone. An increase in the testosterone levels in the body stimulates prostate cancer cells to grow. Hormone therapy is given to patients diagnosed with prostate cancer as a means to decease the testosterone levels in the body, it is also referred as the Androgen Deprivation Therapy (in which production of male hormones are prevented). Radiation therapy is given to directly kill and destroy the cancer cells by using external beam radiation.

Numerous studies conclude that combination of hormone therapy plus radiation therapy promotes good survival rates. Hormone therapy helps by reducing tumor growth. It also potentiates killing of the cancer cells when combined with radiotherapy.

When prostate cancer strikes, it strikes the very core of how men define themselves. The prostate, being the key component in a man’s sexual ability and performance is one of the major glands that give men a solid perception of their manhood. Once afflicted with prostate cancer, it can be a tragic predicament as it could mean that a man may be stripped of his virility. To what can prostate cancer be attributed to? There is no singular factor to take into account although Black men have the greater likelihood to develop prostate cancer. Heredity as well is a suspected culprit in acquiring the disease.

Once there is a growth of abnormal and malignant cells in the tissues of the prostate gland, then that initiates the development of prostate cancer. Those cells can potentially spread all over and beyond the prostate as well. Prostate cancer has four stages of development. The first stage is when the cancer cells are yet confined within the prostate and has not spread beyond that area. It is best that prostate cancer be detected and treated in this initial stage for greater chances of remission. Stage II of this cancer is when the cancer is still within the prostate but continues to reproduce and advance.

Once prostate cancer is not hampered in this stage, it could degenerate into the third stage wherein the cancer cells have spread beyond the prostate and into the neighboring tissues. The final verdict of prostate cancer comes with the stage IV of this deadly disease. During stage IV, the cancer has metastasized and has spread all throughout the other parts of the body. Metastatic prostate cancer is extremely serious and drastic measures may have to be undertaken to combat the disease. It has well been said that prevention is the measure for any deadly disease, so men must therefore implement all the necessary measures to prevent the onset of prostate cancer and other threatening conditions.

Consider eating marinara sauce
How it can work: Tomato is the key ingredient of marinara sauce. And tomatoes come rich with lycopene, which happens to be a potent antioxidant proven to ease the danger of prostate cancer among men. Actually, tomato happens to be among the few anti-prostate cancer veggies. If you want to reinforce the power of the sauce, just add some garlic.

Go boat racing
It isn’t a secret that some aerobic exercise can really help when it comes to minimizing your protestant cancer risk. Human beings, by nature, are supposed to be up and moving. After all, working out can improve circulation and also boost your immune system. You’ll see an increase in the energy levels too. But these days, finding enough time or motivation to work out could be tricky. So your best way out is to merge exercise with some fun. That’s why we recommend going to race those giant boats which are often named after legendary dragons? Sounds awesome, huh!

Eat a large bowl of flax-filled flakes
True, a bowl of Frosted Flakes would taste delicious. Still, it isn’t exactly the best and healthiest of breakfast cereal. If you’re looking up a fun and easy way to stop prostate cancer, go for a smart cereal which is rich in flax. And likewise, it should help if you try and substitute cow milk with soy. Just in case if you didn’t know, flax as well as soy are rich in active ingredients which fight back prostate cancer.

The bottom line is that, the prevention attempts of a health risk don’t necessarily have to be boring. Conversely, you should try and keep going in a fun and exiting way to ensure you’re undergoing a routine that you can follow.

It is good to pay some of your attention to the early symptoms of your ailment. Often times these symptoms occur during the early stages of any types of disease. It is because the body will immediately react against foreign substances that have managed to enter your body. However there are also extreme cases of diseases in which there are no manifestations of early symptoms of such disease.

Cancer became the most well-known type of disease because of its tremendous effects towards the life of its victims. Cancer has no early
symptoms because it masks itself as a normal type of cell. Most of the time, it is very difficult to diagnose a person with prostate cancer because its symptoms are indistinguishable. Unfortunately there are already several cases of patients who died due to prostate cancer. Generally the cause of their death is because they failed to recognize the early symptoms of prostate cancer.

The most effective way for you to stay healthy is to follow the general instructions of your doctor. You should also remember that you are the first person who is responsible for your health since you know yourself better. You have the ability and skills to distinguish the different conditions of your body. It would be easier for your doctor if you are going to tell him or her about the exact condition of your health.

Since prostate cancer deals with the prostate glands of a patient, the focus of treatment must be put on the portion of the body where those glands are located. It is also expected that the early symptoms of cancer will occur on the same area of concern. Most patients failed to recognize the signs of prostate cancer because its symptoms are also related to other types of diseases.

The most common symptom of this type of cancer is frequent urination. It often occurs during the night. The patient generally finds it difficult for him to perform the urination process because of too much pain. There are also instances when he is no longer capable to urinate. There is also an interrupted or weak flow of urine once a person has a prostate cancer.

However there are also severe symptoms of prostate cancer. The presence of blood in semen or urine is one of the most horrible symptoms of this type of disease. If you managed to experience this event you must immediately call the attention of your doctor. It would be very complicated it you are still going to ignore this kind of symptom.