Prostate Cancer Article

Jun 28

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common and deadly cancer in men, only second to lung cancer. It most commonly develops in men over the age of 50. It is most common in the United States and least common in Southern and Eastern Asia. It is most frequently found in black men and least frequently found in Asian men.

Prostate cancer is found in the prostate, a gland of the male reproductive system which helps regulate the making and storing of seminal fluid. The prostate is located in the pelvis; under the bladder, in front of the rectum, and surrounding the urethra. Prostate cancer affects urination and ejaculation due to its location.

Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the gland mutate and begin to multiply. In this process, the mutated cells can also spread to other organs of the body such as bones, lymph nodes, bladder, and rectum.

Prostate cancer in its early stages has nearly no symptoms, which is why it is so dangerous. Some symptoms that may rarely be seen include frequent urination, difficulty starting and maintaining urine flow, blood in the urine, painful urination, difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection, and painful ejaculation. Most cases of prostate cancer aren’t found until the cancer has spread to another part of the body, which is why the most common symptom of advanced prostate cancer is pain in the bones.

Prostate cancer is found during physical examinations and cancer is usually confirmed by removing a piece of the prostate and doing a biopsy on it. Other tests are used to find out if prostate cancer has spread to other organs, including x-rays and bone scans.

Treatment of prostate cancer is surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or proton therapy (or a combination of these methods). Treatment depends on how far the cancer has spread and the age of the patient; because the majority of prostate cancer patients are approximately 70 years old, the patients often die of unrelated causes before the cancer severely affects them.