How to Handle Prostate Cancer

The prostate is part of a male's urinary and reproductive system. Its main function is to produce the white fluid that carries sperm. It also keeps both urine and sperm flowing in the right direction. The prostate surrounds the urethra, and is normally the size of a walnut, but can grow in middle aged men to the point where it impedes the flow of urine from the bladder creating a need for frequent urination.

Instructions

• 1

  Know the difference between benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH, and cancer. The symptom of frequent urination can be common to both, because cancer cells can put pressure on the urethra like BPH. No studies have found that BPH causes prostate cancer. Symptoms of prostate cancer can also include a weak flow of urine, painful ejaculation, blood in semen or urine, erectile dysfunction, fecal incontinence as well as pain in the back or hips that doesn't fade. While BPH is the benign swelling of the prostate, cancer is when malignant cells grow in the prostate. It's a disease that can spread especially to the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer occurs predominantly in men over fifty. In the U.S. each year it affects more than 220,000 men, killing 27,000.

• 2

  If you have prostate problems, it's vital to get tested for Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, a warning sign of cancer, that could also be caused by an infection. With a high PSA reading a doctor could order a cystoscopy which shows a picture of the urinary tract from inside the bladder made by a flexible camera tube inserted through the urethra. The best test would be using a transrectal ultrasound to guide a needle for a biopsy, where the cells are removed from the prostate for examination by a pathologist. The cancer would then be rated on what is known as the Gleason scale, from 2 to 10. The higher the number, the more likely the cancer is to spread. X-rays might be used as a follow up to see if the cancer has metastasized into the bones.

• 3

  Understand the factors that affect your treatment options. In addition to the Gleason score, they include the age of the patient and his health, the PSA level, how much the cancer has spread, and whether it is a new discovery or a relapse. Below are the treatment options.

• 4

  Watchful waiting is monitoring the progression of your disease. Since prostate cancer is slow growing, this technique can be effective when combined with changes in diet and lifestyle, such as cutting back on animal fat, eliminating trans fat, adding vitamins D, E, green tea and lycopene to your diet. This method is most effective in early stage low risk cancer. The best thing about watchful waiting is that it eliminates the range of prostate cancer treatment side effects, which can include impotence, pain and blood in the penile fluid

• 5

  Brachytherapy is implanting low or high dose radiation seeds in the prostate. It is effective in younger patients in good health with localized cancer and in a prostate that doesn't exhibit signs of swelling from BPH.

• 6

  Hormone therapy involves cutting back on testosterone production which for a period of time will slow or stop the growth of prostate cancer. It doesn't actually destroy the cancer, just slows its growth. Initially anti-androgens would be prescribed. These block testosterone receptors in the prostate. They are a good choice for low risk early stage prostate cancer patients. In more advanced stages cutting testosterone could mean castration.

• 7

  Cryotherapy is a relatively new treatment that subjects the prostate gland to freezing temperatures. It is used to treat prostate cancer that has proven radiation resistant. It's also an effective primary treatment for those at low risk.

• 8

  Radiotherapy is applied externally, in small doses, typically Monday through Friday over 5 to 9 weeks. Normal cells can repair the radiation damage; cancer cells can't.

• 9

  Radical prostatectomy is removal of the entire prostate and surrounding tissue. Surgeons do try to preserve as much sexual function as possible, but part of this surgery also involves shrinking the ****. A major operation like this will affect a man's sex life.

• 10

  Chemotherapy for prostate cancer is salvage treatment. Because it is systemic, it's used for late stage disease where the metastasis has affected other organs. It can prolong one's life.