Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that affects men. It is the most common type of cancer that affects men. In India men over the age of 65 are most commonly affected by this condition. Even though there’s a 64% five-year survival rate with this cancer, it still requires proper medical diagnosis and active medical surveillance. So, to help you identify the important prostate cancer symptoms, let’s take a closer look at the condition, its causes, and the latest prostate cancer treatments.
The prostate gland is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum in men. The shape of this gland resembles a walnut and its function is to secrete fluids that mix with the semen to keep sperm healthy for pregnancy and conception. Prostate cancer happens when there is cancerous growth and abnormal cell changes in the prostate leading to the formation of cancer.
Prostate cancer when diagnosed early in most cases for men who go through regular health checkups. This reduces the risk of distant metastasis from prostate cancer and helps limit the cancer to the prostate gland and eliminate it altogether with medical treatment. Vigilant monitoring of symptoms and risk factors can help you manage prostate cancer too and with a timely diagnosis, doctors can help you treat the condition easily.
Prostate cancer much like other types of cancer often doesn’t show symptoms from the get-go. The signs of prostate cancer start appearing only when the condition progresses. Here are some of the symptoms of prostate cancer that you can monitor and still be able to get your diagnosis as early as possible.
These symptoms correspond to the different stages of prostate cancer. In most cases, reporting these symptoms to your doctor can help you get started with your diagnosis and treatment, if required. However, there are several risk factors of prostate cancer that you must know about too, which will help you identify your symptoms quicker and get help with an early diagnosis.
The exact prostate cancer causes are not known to doctors. However, it is expected that when prostate cells divide and multiply faster than expected it can lead to the growth of prostate cancer. While the exact causes may not be known, several risk factors have been closely associated with an increased incidence of prostate cancer. Let’s review the different prostate cancer risk factors that you must be aware of and monitor.
Family history plays an important role in the development of prostate cancer. People who have had immediate family members who have prostate cancer are at a higher risk of the condition than others. Relatives like your father, brother, or children having prostate cancer can increase your risk for the condition as much as three times.
Following the same line, family history and genetics go hand in hand when it comes to your risk for prostate cancer. Having certain genes increases your risk of prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Doctors will often talk to you about preventative measures to ensure you are safe against your genetic risks from before it start developing.
The older you get, the higher your risk of prostate cancer increases. It has been studied that over 60% of prostate cancer is diagnosed in people over the age of 65. Anybody over the age of 50 is considered at high risk for prostate cancer and would require regular medical checkups to monitor the condition and prevent known complications.
When it comes to prostate cancer treatment, there are different options based on the stage and severity of the cancer. As it is with most cancers, the ideal treatment option is to get the cancer surgically removed from the body. However, since this condition is common among older patients, going through a surgery is not often recommended for them. So, let’s take a look at some of the most common treatment options used for prostate cancer.
Non-medical management of prostate cancer involves active surveillance of the condition to check for any growth or development of the cancer. Biopsies and diagnostic tests are required to be performed every one to three years based on your age and doctors monitor the cancer growth.
This type of cancer treatment is offered only when the cancer doesn’t come with any disruptive symptoms and the cancer growth is slow and only limited to the prostate. If the cancer progresses or the symptoms start appearing, doctors start the required medical treatments.
Active surveillance or watchful waiting as it is more commonly known is mostly used on patients who have gotten an early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Surgical treatment for prostate cancer is the most effective treatment option and is recommended in cases where the condition can’t be treated otherwise. Prostatectomy is the surgery of choice for treating prostate cancer. This surgery is used especially when the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate. It can be performed both as an open surgery and a minimally invasive procedure. The goal of the surgery is to remove the cancer-affected prostate gland from the body and check for any signs of cancer spreading to other body parts.
If doctors recommend surgical treatment for your prostate cancer, in most cases, the minimally invasive surgery will be recommended to you. This is mainly because the minimally invasive procedure has better recovery time and fewer risks compared to an open surgery.
Therapeutic treatment involves various types of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy. The goal of all these therapies is to kill the cancer cells from inside the body without the need for surgical intervention. These therapies are often enough to treat prostate cancer since it is generally contained in a single area.
In some cases, the therapies are also somewhat invasive procedures like chemotherapy, which involves inserting an IV drip in your arm. Apart from that, with radiation therapy, cryotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy, the procedures are completely noninvasive. They too do have some side effects, so make sure you discuss them with your doctors before going through with the treatment.
Prostate cancer is treatable with the right medical intervention and vigilant monitoring of risk factors and symptoms. If you are over the age of 40, you should certainly go for prostate examinations and regular screenings recommended by your doctor to reduce your risk of prostate cancer. To learn more about prostate cancer treatment options in detail, check out MASSH. We specialize in minimally invasive and non-invasive treatment options for prostate cancer. Check out our website or visit us to consult our specialists today.
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