MONDAY, June 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) — No man wants to listen to that he has prostate cancer, but when he’s diagnosed he might want to learn in regards to the disease and the way it’s treated.

Prostate cancer affects one in seven men. In keeping with the American Cancer Society (ACS), it’s the second commonest form of cancer amongst men after skin cancer. With an estimated 288,300 latest cases in the USA in 2023, it is vital to know more about prostate cancer and what you’ll be able to expect when you are the one in seven.

What’s prostate cancer?

The prostate, a walnut-shaped organ, is a component of men’s reproductive organs, providing among the seminal fluid. Living below the bladder, it surrounds the urethra through which urine drains and the seminal tube through which semen flows. As with other cancers, it begins when cells mutate, grow uncontrolled and eventually damage and steal nutrients from the encircling healthy cells, in line with the ACS.

Prostate cancer causes

While specific prostate cancer causes haven’t been identified, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists several prostate cancer risk aspects. These include:

• Age : Probably the most common risk factor. The older you’re, the more likely you’re to develop prostate cancer
• Race: Black men usually tend to get prostate cancer, get it at a younger age, have advanced disease before it’s diagnosed, and are twice as prone to die from prostate cancer
• Weight: Being chubby can increase your risk
• Genetics: Having an in depth member of the family who’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer raises your risk

Prostate cancer symptoms

In keeping with Mayo Clinic, prostate cancer symptoms are rare within the early stages. Once prostate cancer signs are noticed, it often signals worsening of the disease. These signs include:

• Trouble urinating or decreased force of urination
• Blood in urine or semen
• Bone pain
• Erectile dysfunction
• Unexplained weight reduction
• Unexplained fever

A few of these symptoms may also be brought on by other issues with the prostate, so more testing might be needed.

Prostate cancer tests

There are two most important screening tests for prostate cancer. Digital rectal exam (DRE) is performed by the physician to find out if there are changes within the prostate. Secondly, a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test looks for elevated levels of PSA, which might indicate prostate cancer. Nevertheless, many other things can affect the PSA level. If either of those is abnormal, the physician and patient may resolve to proceed with a prostate biopsy. Each patient will need to discuss the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening with their physician to find out what’s best for them, the CDC says.

Prostate cancer stages

In keeping with ACS, there are 10 prostate cancer stages. Prostate cancer staging is a fancy process, but is set by the extent of the most important tumor, whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body, the outcomes of the PSA test, and the biopsy or surgery, which shows how likely the cancer is to grow and spread quickly. Prostate cancer staging helps the physicians determine the very best treatment plan.

Prostate cancer treatments

Dr. Mitchell Humphreys, a urologist at Mayo Clinic, said in a recent video that prostate cancer treatment is simplest when the disease is caught early. Nevertheless, “immediate treatment isn’t at all times needed. Keeping track of the cancer until it grows greater is usually enough,” he said. Beyond the wait-and-see approach, Humphreys lists the next prostate cancer treatments:

• Prostate cancer surgery to remove the cancer and sometimes the prostate itself, if it has not spread
• Radiation, which targets and kills the cancer cells
• Chemotherapy drugs that destroy cancer cells
• Cryotherapy, which freezes the cancer cells, or high-intensity focused ultrasound, which kills cells with heat
• Androgen deprivation therapy, which blocks the production of testosterone

Many physicians and patients decide to take the “energetic surveillance” approach, in line with research published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine. While protecting the patient’s health through close monitoring, it avoids the customarily difficult unwanted side effects of the treatment options.

Prostate cancer survival rates

In keeping with the CDC, the five-year prostate cancer survival rate is just over 97%. While prostate cancer could be a serious disease, most men with prostate cancer don’t die from it. Per the CDC, greater than 3.1 million men in the USA who’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer in some unspecified time in the future are still alive today.

Living with prostate cancer will be stressful, irrespective of which treatment plan you select. Healthy living habits equivalent to exercise, healthy weight loss program, weight reduction, smoking cessation, and emotional support from family or support groups can all be helpful in managing this disease. As well as, you’ll need to follow-up often together with your physician to observe for changes in your cancer.

While cancer is something nobody desires to take into consideration, Humphreys gives this recommendation and encouragement: “It’s a vital a part of your health and an authority medical care team can guide you to the solutions which are most tailored for you, your wishes and your body.”