Prostate cancer details

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Overview

Introduction

• Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man's reproductive system. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body.

• The cancer cells may metastasize (spread) from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, problems during sexual intercourse, or erectile dysfunction.

Volumes

USA

• In the USA, prostrate cancer is the most common cancer among men. It affects 156.9 people out of 100,000 as compared to 80.5 affected by Lung cancer which is a distant second.

• Among the cancer deaths in men, prostrate cancer is the second leading cause (23.5 out of 100,000) after lung cancer.

• The latest estimate for prostrate cancer in the USA in 2011 are:
  • About 240,890 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed
  • About 33,720 men will die of prostate cancer
  • About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
  • Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. About 1 man in 36 will die of prostate cancer.

Source: CDC & American-Cancer-Society

Worldwide

• Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in men of all ages.
  • It is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over age 75.
  • It is rarely found in men younger than 40.

• People who are at higher risk include:
  • African-American men, who are also likely to develop cancer at every age
  • Men who are older than 60
  • Men who have a father or brother with prostate cancer

• Other people at risk include, men exposed to agent orange exposure, men who abuse alcohol, farmers, Men who eat a diet high in fat, especially animal fat, tire plant workers, painters and men who have been exposed to cadmium.

Source: ncbi-nih

Causes and Symptoms

Causes

• The specific causes of prostate cancer remain unknown.
• The primary risk factors are age and family history. Prostate cancer is very uncommon in men younger than 45, but becomes more common with advancing age. The average age at the time of diagnosis is 70.
• Men who have first-degree family members with prostate cancer appear to have double the risk of getting the disease compared to men without prostate cancer in the family. This risk appears to be greater for men with an affected brother than for men with an affected father.
• Men with high blood pressure are more likely to develop prostate cancer.

Symptoms

The PSA blood test is often done to screen men for prostate cancer. Because of PSA testing, most prostate cancers are now found before they cause any symptoms.

The symptoms listed below can occur with prostate cancer (Most of the time these symptoms are caused by other prostate problems that are not cancer):

• Delayed or slowed start of urinary stream
• Dribbling or leakage of urine, most often after urinating
• Slow urinary stream
• Straining when urinating, or not being able to empty out all of the urine
• Blood in the urine or semen
• Bone pain or tenderness, most often in the lower back and pelvic bones (only when the cancer has spread)

Source: oxofordjournals,onlinelibrary,springerlink & ncbi-nih

Treatment/Management

Treatment

Treatment for prostate cancer may involve:

• Active surveillance
• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
• Hormonal therapy
• Palliative care

Prevention

There's no proven prostate cancer prevention strategy. But one may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by:

• Choosing a healthy diet
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Exercising most days of the week
• Talking to a doctor

Source: mayoclinic

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