Prostate Cancer

Prostate is a unique gland present within the pelvis in men. It is located in between the penis and the bladder and even encloses the urethra. The most important function of the prostate gland is the formation of semen.

If a question of which is the frequently seen cancer in men arise, one can doubtlessly answer that it is prostate gland. The likelihood of this disease increases with an advance in age and men who are 65 or older are at considerable risk. Though the cause is not known, the fact is that Afro-Caribbean or African descent men are more at risk of developing this condition and men of Asian descent are at less risk.

Symptoms

In a normal case, prostate cancer do not cause any significant symptom until it exerts considerable pressure over urethra and interfere with urination.

Symptoms include a sudden urge to urinate, painful urination, frequency of urination particularly at night, weak and irregular urinary flow, difficulty to initiate voiding, even after voiding, sense of fullness prevails and rarely, presence of blood in urine,.

As the cancer progress into an advanced stage, it presents with anorexia, loss of weight and persistent pain.

Causes

A cancer is a serious disorder often caused by a mutation or genetic abnormality in which the cells of the body multiplies at a faster rate and cannot be controlled. The result is often a lump or tumour and the cancerous growth may spread from one region of the body to another..

Prostate cancer

The exact cause for the prostate cancer is not known but the following ones are found to be the risk factors:

Age – As with an advancement in the age, the likelihood of this disease also increases.

Ethnic group – Men of Afro-Caribbean and African descent are more likely to develop prostate cancer in comparison to Asian and South and Central American descent men.

Family history – studies show that familial tendency is also a major risk factor.
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Diet – People who consume lot of red meat and dairy products are more at risk hen compared with the vegetarians.

Treatment

On diagnosing the cancer, the prompt management or therapeutic regimen is determined by a group of specialists from various disciplines called as a multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

Radical prostatectomy

This procedure involves surgically excising the prostate gland and is only done in those cases in which the cancer is limited to the gland..

Like any operation, this surgery carries some risks and there may be some side effects. These are outlined below.

Radiotherapy
This technique employs use of radiation to destroy the cancerous cells and are more effective in an early stage. It also prevents the progression of the condition.

Brachytherapy

This is a kind of radiotherapy featuring the implantation of small radioactive seeds into the cancerous cells.

Hormone therapy

This involves administering hormones that will prevent the situations favouring the rapid multiplication of the cancerous cells.

Trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP)

This involves excising a larger portion of the prostate to relieve the tension or pressure upon the urethra..

Chemotherapy

This method features the utilisation of several chemicals to destroy the cancerous cells.