PROSTATE CANCER ARE YOU AT RISK? FIND OUT HERE!

 

PROSTATE CANCER situation is as a result of the formation of malignant tumor in the prostate gland caused by formation of abnormal cells.  These cell mutate or changed their normal structure therefore growing and multiplying by division and the resultant cells form the malignant tumor within the prostate gland of males. This condition is very common among men  above 60 years of age and is one of the commonest cancer among the male folks across the globe irrespective of their race or background. In Nigeria,  studies show that prostate cancer is on the increase especially among men who are above 45 years.  This article will examine the possible causes, risk-factors and how well one can manage the situation should he experiences this potentially fatal malady!

WHAT REALY CAUSES PROSTATE CANCER?

Like earlier stated, this condition is caused by formation of malignant tumor in the prostate gland due the formation of abnormal cells as a result of mutation.  Over time, this tumor grows and like other cancer cells,  begin to spread to affect the other parts of the body and if not properly diagnosed and treated early may be fatal to the sufferers. Fortunately,  though this condition has a very high mortality rate,  having sufficient awareness plus early detection, and diagnose can offer some glimpse of hope to the sufferers in particular and generally to all men! In the light of the above,  knowledge of the causes and risk-factors will suffice.

·          FAMILY HISTORY: 

 A proper knowledge of one’s family history about this condition is very important: has any male member of your family ever been diagnosed with prostate cancer?  If the answer is  'yes’ then you have a chance of experiencing it too. In other words, those with an established family occurrence of the disease are most likely to have it.

·         AGING: Though this is a natural,  unavoidable phenomenon,  studies have shown that the chance of developing prostate cancer increases as one ages above 50 -60 years.

RISK FACTORS

SEX LIFE : Studies show that men who have sex frequently are most likely to not have this condition,  unlike men who don’t. This as due to a large extent to the fact that,  the frequency of ejaculation tends to effect the chances of the development of the condition.

 

HEREDITY

Like earlier stated, those who have a history of prostate cancer are most likely to develop the condition this is due to the likely genetic mutation that might occur in the life of such an individual and genetic inheritance is passed in the family line.

AGE

Age is another risk factor to the development of this condition. This is due to the fact that as one grows older, he is more likely to develop prostate cancer, and sadly enough, aging is a natural process of which,  we have no control over!

RACE

Many studies in the  United States of America show that most sufferers of prostate cancer are of African-American origin,  while the occurrence is less common among the other races.

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyles such as smoking,  alcohol consumption, inactivity,  having bouts of psychological stress,  lack of exercise can pose as a trigger to the development of this potentially deadly condition in men all other things being equal.

SMOKING

People who smoke have been seen to be more likely to develop prostate cancer unlike non smokers.

 

DIET

Wrong diet is another very likely precursor of prostate cancer. Foods which are not rich in vitamins and minerals, having fat content higher than necessary etc., or not eating balanced diets altogether. All these can increase the chances of the development of prostate cancer.

PROSTATITIS

Another risk factor is whether or not an individual has a history of prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate gland in the past.

EXPOSURE TO CERTAIN CHEMICALS, OR RADIATION AT WORK PLACES

Exposure to certain chemicals,  radiation at work places or during war can increase one’s chances of developing prostate cancer.

OBESITY

Having a body mass index higher than normal is another pre-disposing factor to prostate cancer.

SYMPTOMS

Like every other malady, there are several symptoms common prostate cancer as we see in the following segment of the article. They include;

·         Pain in the urinary track during urination

·         Presence of blood in urine or semen.

·         Pain in the testicles during ejaculation

·         Fecal incontinence,  also known as inability to control one's bowels thus passing out feces uncontrollably.

·         Erectile breakdown or dysfunction.

·         Weakness of urine stream during urination.

·         Loss of ability to control urine and then passing out involuntarily on one’s self

 

CONTROL

After analyzing the possible symptoms of prostate cancer, we will look at the ways prostate cancer can be controlled.

·         How a patient controls or manages the condition is dependent on certain factors such as how early the condition is detected,  the rate at which the cancer cells spread, how fast the tumor grows and the general health condition of the sufferers.  Furthermore, early detection is key to how well prostate cancer is managed. This is because at the early stage, the affected cells are still localized, that is, still within the prostate gland of the male reproductive system.

·         Use of adequate modern healthcare system.  Your chances of surviving the spread of prostate cancer cells,  just as any other cancer cells depend to a greater extent on one’s access to modern healthcaree facilities.  For instance,  the mortality rate of prostate cancer in most sub-Saharan African countries is higher than the rates in Europe and the United States. The disparity in the rates is clearly due to the access ( or lack of it) to modern healthcare by sufferers of prostate cancer in those places. This premise therefore demands that for one to effectively manage the condition, he has to go for a top-notch health institution for proper management.

MANAGEMENT

Sequel to the aforementioned, we will try to examine the various ways through which prostate cancer can be managed. Again,   on the stage of development or the rate at which the tumor grows, health care providers can choose the best procedure to manage the situation effectively.

A good management procedure begins with how accurate the disease is diagnosed. Diagnosis may include;

·         TRANSRECTAL SCANNING can show images of the prostate gland in it's finest quality and your healthcare provider can examine it to discover how fast or otherwise your tumor grows in order to determine whether or not treatment is required. Also,  the scan shows whether the growth of the tumor is already affecting the adjoining cells or tissues.

·         PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) TEST:  This test measures the amount of certain antigens in your blood and show whether or not there's are changes in your prostate. Although this test alone cannot be used to determine your prostate health, it can be of tremendous help to determining the ways in which treatment can be scheduled.

·         BIOPSY: Biopsy involves, examining a tissue or fluid in the body in order to determine the cause of an illness or a disease. In this case, a tissue is taken from the prostate and carefully examined under a microscope in order to look for cancer cells. It can be done by placing a probe in the rectum and an MRI SCAN device is used to help the pathologist look for cancer cells which help him determine at which stage the tumor is and the next line of action.

At this point,  the health workers would have determined the stage of the tumor, the rate of growth,  and whether or not it's affecting the adjoining cells and tissues to choose the best treatment options as we see in the next section of this write-up.

TREATMENT

Treatment of prostate varies from situation to situation. However,  after a proper diagnosis, treatment can include any or a combination of the following:

·         At the early stage especially when the cancer spreads slowly, and still within the prostate gland, biopsies,  and other diagnostics such as screening and scanning can be done once in every 2 to 3 years in a systematic surveillance.  In this way,  the situation is closely monitored to determine the next line of action,  luckily,  most prostate cancer patience often get back to normal at this stage.

·         In situations where the above won't be of help; that is,  indications show that the cancer has started spreading,, attention will be focused in the treatment to get rid of the symptoms. Some of which include:

·         PROSTATECTOMY: This is a removal of an effected prostate gland from a patient. The procedure is mostly recommended when the cancer is still within the prostate gland without spreading to the adjoining tissues.

·         RADIATION : This is commonly called radiotherapy and can be combined with chemotherapy to treat cancer cases that have started spreading.  A suitable method could be recommended by the health workers.

Most cancer treatment are not without side effects! Therefore,  we will try to look at some of the side effects a prostate cancer patience may experience. They include and not limited to;

·         Erectile nerves can be damaged as a result of the various treatment listed above resulting in functioning of the erectile never, fortunately normal erection can be restored after a year or more of treatment depending on the recovery rate of the individual involved. And the body can perform it's normal functions again.

·         Loss of hair can also be experienced in the arm pit, on the body and on the head especially after chemotherapy. This too can be recovered within one to three years after treatment and when the body would have returned to normal.

·         Urinary incontinence may also result: This is inability to control urinary flow when pressed or passing urine uncontrollably, even peeing due to a cough or a sneeze.

·         Inability to produce sperm: Patience may experience an inability to produce viable sperm cells that can produce an offspring.

·         Mental and psychological trauma as a result of the traumatic experience by the patience. Love and care should be shown by friends and family members to enhance a speedy recovery.

Furthermore, should one experiences any of the above, he or she should seek the help of medical expert.

WAYS OF PREVENTION OF PROSTATE CANCER

If you fall among the people that may have any of the risk factors mentioned earlier, the following suggestions may be of help:

·         EXERCISE this is necessary.  Expert suggestion of a suitable work out plan that will fit into your routine, body size etc will go along way.  However, designing that plan is one thing and sticking to the plan is another.  You can get a partner or better still, enroll at any fitness club near you.

·         REGULAR SEX with your partner will both help ease you of stress emotionally and reduce your sperm load

·         EAT BALANCED DIETS ALWAYS: Cut off foods with excessive carbo, fats and oil as they may just aid the growth of cancerous cells in the body.

·         TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR MIND: Staying positive and focused on the bright side of life can help boost the inner energy of sufferers and unblock their mind of any negative oREGULAR.

·         RGULAR MEDICAL  CHECKUP. This is very vital as the chance of survival of prostate cancer depends on early detection. Early detection ensures timely intervention and possible prevention of growth altogether.

·         AARENESS: BEING aware of changes in your body and the right information about any disease can go along way to proffering solutions to it's prevention and control. This same premise holds true for prostate cancer, especially as most people suffer this malady without having any symptoms only to realize it when it is too late thereby reducing their chances of survival.

 

It's our collective efforts that will rid the world of prostate cancer and this article has raised the awareness,  it's our choice to stay healthy.  If you still need more information on this,  please consult your medical expert for best decisions.