Dealing With Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the single most prevalent type of cancer to afflict Americans. It's also a major killer, claiming the lives of nearly 30,000 American men in 2012. Among the malignant diseases, only breast cancer in women and lung cancer in both sexes took more lives in the U.S. during the year.
The prostate gland is a vitally important and often troublesome part of the male anatomy. Although it functions as a segment of the male reproductive system, its position directly below the bladder can influence the urinary tract. In younger men, the prostate is about the size of a walnut, but it often grows as a man ages. Known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, this condition can create difficulties by constricting the flow of urine. However, BPH is not cancer and will not develop into a malignancy. Alternatively, cancer of the prostate often has no symptoms in its early stages, and this latency factor is one of the more insidious aspects of the disease.
Different types of cancers can develop in the prostate, including malignant tumors. However, the most common form is known as adenocarcinoma, which develops in the cells of the gland. Cancer of the prostate can grow rapidly and spread to other parts of the body. However, it normally grows slowly, and many men who suffer from it have been known to die from other diseases. More than 60 percent of the men diagnosed with cancer of the prostate are least 65 years old.
The underlying cause of prostate cancer is not clear, but family proclivity appears to be a factor. Men who had a father or at least one brother who suffered from it were found to develop the disease at more than double the normal rate. There also appears to be a racial factor, since African-American men suffer from the disease at higher rates than do those of other ethnic backgrounds. Research points to obesity and the consumption of meat and dairy products as other possible causes.
Prostate cancer can be dealt with in a number of ways, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Overall survival rates are relatively high, providing the diagnosis is made at an earlier stage of the disease. Cancer can often be detected through a rectal examination conducted by a doctor and through a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Regular physical examinations that include these checks may be the best thing men can do to protect themselves from the disease.
The prostate gland is a vitally important and often troublesome part of the male anatomy. Although it functions as a segment of the male reproductive system, its position directly below the bladder can influence the urinary tract. In younger men, the prostate is about the size of a walnut, but it often grows as a man ages. Known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, this condition can create difficulties by constricting the flow of urine. However, BPH is not cancer and will not develop into a malignancy. Alternatively, cancer of the prostate often has no symptoms in its early stages, and this latency factor is one of the more insidious aspects of the disease.
Different types of cancers can develop in the prostate, including malignant tumors. However, the most common form is known as adenocarcinoma, which develops in the cells of the gland. Cancer of the prostate can grow rapidly and spread to other parts of the body. However, it normally grows slowly, and many men who suffer from it have been known to die from other diseases. More than 60 percent of the men diagnosed with cancer of the prostate are least 65 years old.
The underlying cause of prostate cancer is not clear, but family proclivity appears to be a factor. Men who had a father or at least one brother who suffered from it were found to develop the disease at more than double the normal rate. There also appears to be a racial factor, since African-American men suffer from the disease at higher rates than do those of other ethnic backgrounds. Research points to obesity and the consumption of meat and dairy products as other possible causes.
Prostate cancer can be dealt with in a number of ways, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Overall survival rates are relatively high, providing the diagnosis is made at an earlier stage of the disease. Cancer can often be detected through a rectal examination conducted by a doctor and through a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Regular physical examinations that include these checks may be the best thing men can do to protect themselves from the disease.
