Prostate Cancer Symptoms: Early Detection is Key

As prostate cancer involves the male reproductive system, the prostate, it is a disease that primarily affects the male. Early detection of its symptoms is vital to treatment and recovery. When you have prostate cancer, your prostate cells mutate and multiply out of control. These cancerous cells start to attack all the surrounding healthy cells in the prostate, and can spread to other parts of the body. Very often, this disease also affects the bones around the prostate.

Most men do not realize that they have prostate cancer until it is in an advanced stage. Once it is diagnosed in a later stage, it is usually more difficult to cure or treat. Hence, early detection can help in controlling the spread of the cancer cells. Here are some important prostate cancer symptoms that
you should keep a look out for:
– general pain in the prostate area
– an uncontrollable desire to urinate frequently, especially at nighttime
– difficulty in urinating, both in starting or holding back
– poor flow of urine
– the presence of blood and in urine and semen
– pain or burning sensation when urinating
– erectile dysfunction (inability to have or sustain an erection)
– uncomfortable or painful ejaculation
– a frequent pain or stiffness in the upper thighs, hips, or lower back

It does not mean that you have prostate cancer just because you notice the above symptoms. These symptoms can also be an indication of other diseases. Your best course of action is to go for an accurate and proper diagnosis by a doctor or specialist. You will have to undergo a series of tests in order to determine if you have prostate cancer or some other health problems.

Several factors appear to increase the risk of getting this disease.

Age is a key factor. It has been found that prostate cancer is most common in men over fifty years of age.
Family history is also another key indicator of increased risk. If you have a close male relative who is suffering from the disease, you are twice as likely to have prostate cancer yourself.

In addition, nationality or where you come from can mean different risk levels. Statistics reveal that African-Americans are most at risk, followed by Americans and Europeans. Least at risk are Asians, particularly those that live in the East and Southeast portions of the continent.

It has been said that an unhealthy lifestyle and diet also increases your risk to getting this disease. Although this disease is not preventable, making substantial changes to your diet and lifestyle have been shown to improve your chances of recovery greatly.

To find out if you really have prostate cancer, you need to consult a specialist. Once you describe to him about the symptoms that you have observed, he may order a series of tests to make sure.

The PSA, or prostate specific antigen test, is used to detect the disease. During this process, a small piece of the prostate will be removed and examined under a microscope to check for prostate cancer cells. Additionally, other tests such as X-rays and bone scans may also be used to determine the extent of the cancer.

While it appears cumbersome to go for that many tests, it is important to remember that they may actually help you save your live. You can get treated for prostate cancer symptoms if you take early action.

Evelyn Lim
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/prostate-cancer-symptoms-early-detection-is-key-67799.html

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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 12:02 pm and is filed under prostate health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Prostate Cancer Symptoms: Early Detection is Key”

indyerica95 Says:
March 14th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Breast Cancer Questions..?
Following the American Cancer Society’s guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer improves the chances that breast cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage and treated successfully.

false

true

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Question 6

Developing a hernia is more common in women than men.

True
False

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Question 7

PMS occurs only in females who:

are tired and do not exercise regularly

have high hormone levels

who are taking birth control pills

who are ovulating or who are in the first days of their menstral period

——————————————————————————–

Question 8

A high caffeine intake can affect PMS symptoms.

True
False

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Question 9

African-American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer and die from it than Caucasian or Asian men.

True
False

——————————————————————————–

Question 10

This surgery, called ____________removes all or part of the breast and sometimes the surrounding tissues.

mammogram

lumpectomy

mastectomy

malignant

benign

——————————————————————————–

Question 11

Hernias are more common in men because when the testicals descend through the inguinial canal, the opening of the canal does not close completely.

True
False

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Question 12

A risk factor is anything that increases a persons chance of getting a disease. Which of the following is not considered a risk factor for breast cancer?

family history of breast cancer

not having children

people who breast feed their babies

drinking alcohol

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Question 13

Risk factors for PMS include:

vitamin B deficiency, family history and age of 30

previous signs of anxiety and family history

vitamin B deficiency, family history and age of 15 -19

pregnancy and vitamin B deficiency

——————————————————————————–

Question 14

Prostate cancer usually displays several symptoms in the early stages of development.

True
False

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Question 15

Which warning sign(s) of breat cancer should be reported to your doctor?

a new lump in the breast

the nipple becomes inverted

change in the size or shape of breast

all of the above

——————————————————————————–

Question 16

The menstrual cycle has how many stages?

4

28

2

5

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Question 17

Prostate cancer typically:

grows slowly

begins with small changes that may go unnoticed

occurs in very young men

choice 1 and choice 2 only

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Question 18

Breast Self-Exam (BSE) is an important defense in the early detection and prevention of breast cancer. BSE should be performed:

once a year

at the beginning of your menstrual cycle

in the middle of your menstrual cycle

a few days after your menstrual cycle or the same time each month

——————————————————————————–

Question 19

"Press firmly to learn what your breasts feel like. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal." This step for BSE is not done unless you think you might have a breast lump.

false

true

——————————————————————————–

Question 20

Biopsy is surgical procedure to check for:

mammograms

hernias

endometriosis

cancerous cells

——————————————————————————–

Question 21

The release of progesterone causes:

ovulation

menstruation

the build up of endometrium

maturing of the ovary

——————————————————————————–

Question 22

Between the ages of 20 and 39, women should have a clinical breast examination by a health professional every 3 years.

false

true

——————————————————————————–

Ques
Some Man Says:
March 14th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
5. True
6. Generally false – men get inguinal hernias a whole lot more than chicks. Gotta say though chicks get more femoral hernias than men.
7.who are ovulating or who are in the first few days of their menstrual period
8. True
9. False
10. mastectomy
11. True
12. drinking alcohol
13. vitamin B deficiency, family history and age of 30
14. False
15. all of the above
16. 4
17. choice 1 and choice 2 only
18. a few days after your menstrual cycle or the same time each month
19. false
20. cancerous cells
21. ovulation
22. true (at least)
References :
The top of my head

Natural Remedies For Your Prostate Health