Prostate Talk » Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer – Staging Prostate Cancer

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:57:01 +0000

If cancer is found in the prostate, the doctor needs to know the stage of the disease and the grade of the tumor. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, what parts of the body are affected. The grade tells how closely the tumor resembles normal tissue in appearance under the microscope.

Doctors use various blood and imaging tests to learn the stage of the disease. Imaging tests, such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, produce pictures of images inside the body.

There are four stages used to describe prostate cancer. Doctors may refer to the stages using the Roman numerals I-IV or the capital letters A-D. The higher the stage, the more advanced the cancer. Following are the main features of each stage.

Stage I or Stage A — The cancer is too small to be felt during a rectal exam and causes no symptoms. The doctor may find it by accident when performing surgery for another reason, usually an enlarged prostate. There is no evidence that the cancer has spread outside the prostate. A sub-stage, T1c, is a tumor identified by needle biopsy because of elevated PSA.

Stage II or Stage B — The tumor is still confined to the prostate but involves more tissue within the prostate. The cancer is large enough to be felt during a rectal exam, or it may be found through a biopsy that is done because of a high PSA level. There is no evidence that the cancer has spread outside the prostate.

Stage III or Stage C — The cancer has spread outside the prostate to nearby tissues. A man may be experiencing symptoms, such as problems with urination.

Stage IV or Stage D — The cancer has spread to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body. The bones are a common site of spread of prostate cancer. There may be problems with urination, fatigue, and weight loss.

Source: http://nihseniorhealth.gov/prostatecancer/stagingprostatecancer/08.html

Prostate Cancer – Planning Treatment

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:42:54 +0000

A team of specialists often treats people with cancer. The team will keep the primary doctor informed about the patient’s progress. The team may include a medical oncologist who is a specialist in cancer treatment, a surgeon, a radiation oncologist who is a specialist in radiation therapy, and others.

Before starting treatment, you may want another doctor to review the diagnosis and treatment plan. Some insurance companies require a second opinion. Others may pay for a second opinion if you request it.

Some prostate cancer patients take part in studies of new treatments. These studies — called clinical trials — are designed to find out whether a new treatment is safe and effective.

Often, clinical trials compare a new treatment with a standard one so that doctors can learn which is more effective. Men with prostate cancer who are interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk with their doctor.

Source: http://nihseniorhealth.gov/prostatecancer/planningtreatment/02.html

Prostate Cancer Defined

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:07:08 +0000

The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow, divide, and produce more cells as needed to keep the body healthy and functioning properly. Sometimes, however, the process goes wrong — cells become abnormal and form more cells in an uncontrolled way.

These extra cells form a mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor. Tumors can be benign, which means not cancerous, or malignant, which means cancerous. Prostate cancer occurs when a malignant tumor forms in the tissue of the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. In its early stage, prostate cancer needs the male hormone testosterone to grow and survive.

The prostate is about the size of a large walnut. It is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate’s main function is to make fluid for semen, a white substance that carries sperm.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among American men. It is a slow-growing disease that mostly affects older men. In fact, more than 60 percent of all prostate cancers are found in men over the age of 65. The disease rarely occurs in men younger than 40 years of age.

Source: http://nihseniorhealth.gov/prostatecancer/

How does a patient decide what the best treatment option is for localized prostate cancer?

megdilts — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:10:01 +0000

Choosing a treatment option involves the patient, his family, and one or more doctors. They will need to consider the grade and stage of the cancer, the man’s age and health, and his values and feelings about the potential benefits and harms of each treatment option. Since both surgery and radiation therapy are options for localized disease, consultation with both a urologist and a radiation oncologist is recommended. Often it is useful to seek additional opinions—from the same type of doctor, an internist, a family practice physician, or a medical oncologist. Because there are several reasonable options for most patients, patients may hear different opinions and recommendations and the decision can be difficult. However, patients should try to get as much information as possible and allow themselves enough time to make a decision. There is rarely a need to make a decision without taking time to discuss and understand the pros and cons of the various approaches.

Source: the National Cancer Institute

Can prostate cancer be found before a man has symptoms?

megdilts — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:49:50 +0000

Yes. Prostate cancer screening is looking for the disease before a person has any symptoms. Two screening tests commonly used to detect prostate cancer in the absence of symptoms are the digital rectal exam (DRE), in which a doctor feels the prostate through the rectum to find hard or lumpy areas, and a blood test that detects a substance made by the prostate called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Together, these tests can detect many “silent” prostate cancers that have not caused symptoms. Due to the widespread use of PSA testing in the United States, approximately 90 percent of all prostate cancers are currently diagnosed at an early stage, and, consequently, men are surviving longer after diagnosis.

Source: the National Cancer Institute

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

megdilts — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:11:47 +0000

Most of the time, prostate cancer does not initially cause symptoms. By the time symptoms do occur, the disease may have spread beyond the prostate. Symptoms of prostate cancer may include the following:

* Urinary problems:
o Not being able to urinate.
o Having a hard time starting or stopping the flow of urine.
o Needing to urinate often, especially at night.
o Weak flow of urine.
o Urine flow that starts and stops.
o Pain or burning during urination.
* Difficulty having an erection.
* Blood in the urine or semen.
* Frequent pain in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.

Although these symptoms can be symptoms of cancer, they are much more likely to be caused by noncancerous conditions. It is important to check with a doctor.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Who is at risk for prostate cancer?

megdilts — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:27:49 +0000

An important risk factor is age; more than 70 percent of men diagnosed with this disease are over the age of 65. African American men have a substantially higher risk of prostate cancer than white men, including Hispanic men. In addition, dramatic differences in the incidence of prostate cancer are seen in different populations around the world.

Genetic factors appear to play a role in prostate cancer development, particularly among families in which the diagnosis is made in men under age 60. The risk of prostate cancer rises with the number of close relatives who have the disease.

Some evidence suggests that dietary factors may increase or decrease the risk of prostate cancer.

Source: the National Cancer Institute

What is prostate cancer?

megdilts — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:31:46 +0000

Prostate cancer forms in the tissues of the prostate. Except for skin cancer, cancer of the prostate is the most common cancer in American men. It was estimated that more than 186,000 men in the United States would be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008 . In most men with prostate cancer, the disease grows very slowly. The majority of men with low-grade, early prostate cancer (which means that cancer cells have been found only in the prostate gland) live a long time after their diagnosis. Even without treatment, many of these men will not die of prostate cancer, but rather will live with it until they eventually die of some other, unrelated cause. Nevertheless, it was estimated that nearly 29,000 men would die from prostate cancer in 2008.

Source: the National Cancer Institute

Protecting Yourself Against Prostate Cancer

megdilts — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:53:07 +0000

Remember that the following can be signs of a prostate problem:

* Frequent urge to urinate
* Need to get up many times during the night to urinate
* Blood in urine or semen
* Painful or burning urination
* Not being able to urinate
* Painful ejaculation
* Frequent pain or stiffness in lower back, hips, pelvic or rectal area, or upper thighs
* Dribbling of urine

If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor right away.

Treating Prostate Cancer

megdilts — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:49:38 +0000

Treatment for prostate cancer depends on whether cancer is in part or all of the prostate or if it has spread to other parts of the body. It also depends on your age and overall health. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment choice for you.

For cancer that has not spread from the prostate to other parts of the body, your doctor may suggest:

Watchful waiting, which is also called “active surveillance.” If the cancer is growing slowly and not causing problems, you may decide not to treat it right away. Instead, your doctor will check regularly for changes in your condition. Older men with other health problems often choose this option.
Surgery. The most common type of surgery removes the whole prostate and some nearby tissue. As with any surgery, there are risks. Talk to your doctor about keeping your sexual function.
Radiation therapy. This treatment uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Talk with your doctor about possible side effects.
Hormone therapy. Men who have radiation therapy may also be treated with hormone blockers. This is done if it seems likely that the cancer will come back. Hormone therapy is also used for prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate.

Source: National Institute on Aging
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services