Cancer is a dreadful word and an equally dreadful disease.
Do you know cancer of the prostate gland is one of the most important and a leading cause of death in men falling in the age group of 60 years and above?
With an aim to spread awareness about this deadly cancer, The month of September has been designated as the ‘Prostate Cancer Awareness Month’.
But first, let’s understand
What is Prostate Gland?
Prostate Gland, as the word suggests, is a gland, secreting chemicals of use to the body, like the liver, the pancreas, the adrenals, which is situated midway between the bladder and the penis in males and its role lies in the production of semen.
Now let’s not get into the details of the ‘how and why’ of semen formation and omitting them, let’s get to know some lesser known facts about the cancer of prostate gland.
Risk of Prostate Cancer?
A risk factor is any condition, situation or circumstance that raises a person’s chances to fall prey to a certain disease. Different cancers have different factors that have the potential to push a person towards developing that specific cancer. However, this does not imply that having one or more risk factors to a particular cancer would definitely lead you to developing it.
Therefore, while it is extremely important to know the risk factors of prostate cancer, there’s really very less to fear about.
Research in the field of prostate cancer has established that many people with even a single risk factor or with no risk factor end up with prostate cancer whereas there are several others who do not develop it all through their life even when they have multiple risk factors to prostate cancer.
Who is at Risk for Prostate Cancer?
As per the CDC, the most common risk factor for developing Prostate cancer is
Age
If you are a male, the older you are, the higher are the chances of you falling prey to cancer of the prostate gland. However, what is also true, is the fact that The age at which men can develop Prostate Cancer is rapidly falling. Yes! Even though this is not so common, doctors report finding prostate cancer in males much younger than 65.
Several epidemiological surveys have also brought to light, the fact that the risk of developing prostate cancer increases with advancing age.
Another important risk factor is
A Positive Family History
Like other cancers, cancer of prostate gland also has a number of variants or types. You may be vulnerable to some types of prostate cancer depending upon your familial profile.
Beware! Because you are at a higher risk if-
You are a first degree relative of a person who had prostate cancer or is currently struggling with it.
You have a history of cancer of the prostate gland, that is you were diagnosed as having prostate cancer in the past.
Other members of your family have either suffered from or are still suffering from any cancer.
Ethnicity
Prostate cancer has been seen to occur more frequently in men who have an African-American origin, as compared to those belonging to other races. Also, while age is certainly a risk factor that we have spoken about, it has been found that in these men, the age at which prostate cancer occurs is much lower than that seen in men belonging to other races.
Genes
With advancements in the field of research, several genes have been identified that are intimately associated with cancer. Some studies suggest that a mutation in the BRCA 2 gene (known to be associated with breast and ovarian cancer in females) may be a risk factor for prostate cancer in males.
Additionally, men with Lynch Syndrome (a genetic disease, medically called Hereditary Non Polyposis Colorectal Cancer) are also at a much higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
Diet and Smoking
Many researches found a direct connection between consumption of calcium as food or supplements and chances of developing prostate cancer. However, a definite connection has not been established because several other researches could not verify the direct link between the two.
Conclusions of studies have been mixed for smoking too!
You do have higher chances of dying from cancer of the prostate gland, if you smoke. But no direct connection has been found yet.
What are the Clinical Features of Prostate Cancer?
Some common symptoms of prostate cancer include-
- Pain or difficulty in urination, medically called Dysuria
- Difficulty in starting or ending urination
- Feeble stream of urine or less volume of urine that what is supposed to be optimal, medically called oliguria
- Stiffness in lower back or thighs
- Pain during ejaculation of semen
Apart from these, some indications of advanced cases of cancer of the prostate include-
Pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones. Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord.
Demystifying Facts About Cancer of the Prostate Gland
Prostate Cancer Mimics Urinary Troubles
It is very important to keep in mind that cancer of the prostate gland mimics other urinary conditions so well, that it is difficult even for doctors to diagnose it
Like all other cancers, cancer of the prostate gland may begin as an asymptomatic condition where the patient sees no signs and symptoms.
What is more problematic is the fact that even when the symptoms appear, they vary in character and intensity from patient to patient. This makes it imperative that men developing any difficulty in the area of urination, take note of the problem precisely and get themselves evaluated at the earliest.
A regular health check up may also prove helpful in early diagnosis and treatment of cases of prostate cancer.
Does the Frequency of Intercourse Really Affect the Risk of Developing Prostate Cancer?
Well, not really! Its not actually the frequency of intercourse (that is sex with a partner) rather the frequency of ejaculation that directly influences the risk of developing prostate cancer. Some studies suggest that while men who had frequent ejaculations were at a lower risk of developing prostate cancer, frequency of intercourse had no role to play in the prevention of prostate cancer. In fact, this area is still misty and requires in-depth research.
The Connection between PSA titre and Prostate Cancer
PSA is the abbreviation for Prostate Specific Antigen which is produced by the prostate gland. It is true that PSA titre is measured to evaluate prostate cancer as very high levels of this protein are indicative of prostate cancer.
PSA titre is a blood test which is often advised by doctors for males aged 55 and above as a screening test to rule out prostate cancer. However, depending upon the patient’s symptoms, his medical history and his family history, this test may be required as early as 40 years of age.
While significant elevation of PSA is certainly associated with increased chances of prostate cancer, what is also true about this antigen, is the fact that slight rise in PSA titre may occur with non cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, medically termed as Benign Prostate Hypertrophy or BHP which occurs normally in all men after they have crossed middle age. Additionally, prostate inflammation that occurs in many kinds of infections and diseases involving the prostate also causes the PSA titre to rise. However, in both these cases the surge of PSA is mild to moderate and settles down with the correction of the cause.
Severe rise in the level of PSA titre is, on the flipside, being indicative of cancer, a cause of worry and calls for further evaluation. In all such cases, doctors usually advise an ultrasound of the prostate, biopsy, MRI and CT Scan.
The Best Approach
If you are a man above the age of 45, do get your PSA titres done to check for benign prostate hypertrophy, infections or inflammations in there and to rule out cancer of the prostate gland.
Well, that’s because prevention is always better than cure!