Posts Tagged ‘cancer’
Monday, February 14th, 2011
Many men, especially those later in life have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait. Early cancer of prostate is confined to the prostate gland itself; most of the patients with this type of cancer can live for years without any problems.
Cancer that grows in the prostate gland is called prostate cancer. About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only one man in 35 will die of the disease. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the U.S. At an advanced age, the risks of surgery for prostate cancer or other more radical treatments may actually be worse than the disease.
One symptom is a need to urinate frequently, especially at night. Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination may be symptoms to watch out for. There may be other symptoms not mentioned here.
One prostate cancer symptom is difficulty starting urination or holding back urine. Having one or more cancer symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer. Most prostate cancer symptoms, although associated with prostate cancer, are more likely to be connected to non-cancerous conditions.
One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities. The decision about whether to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion between you and your doctor.
There are several potential downsides to PSA exam; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer. What is called a free PSA may help tell the difference between BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy), an enlargement of the prostate gland, and cancer of prostate. A bone scan may indicate whether the cancer has spread or not.
Surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, removes the entire prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissues. Since prostate tumors require testosterone to grow, reducing the testosterone level is used to prevent further growth and spread of the cancer. What you can do now is begin to realize what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to begin.
By: Zallhack Froontier
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Technorati Tags: cancer, prostate cancer, prostate cancer symptoms, prostate cancer treatments
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Monday, February 14th, 2011
The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor of the prostate gland. The prostate gland is located beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum.
Many men, especially those later in life have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait. The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man’s reproductive system; it wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in men of all ages and is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over 75 years old.
One of the most common signs is the inability to urinate at all. Some men will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. Having one or more cancer symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer.
Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can be symptoms to watch out for. Other symptoms might include unintentional weight loss and lethargy. If you have one or more prostate cancer symptoms, you should see a qualified doctor as soon as possible.
There is a newer test called AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer. A bone scan can indicate whether the cancer has spread or not. When a digital rectal exam is performed it often reveals an enlarged prostate with a hard, unusual surface.
Another test usually used when symptoms of prostate cancer are present is the digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by the doctor. There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer. A number of tests may be done to confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Since prostate tumors require testosterone to grow, reducing the testosterone level is used to prevent further spread and growth of the cancer. Thoroughly discuss your treatment options and concerns with your doctor and other health professionals; it never hurts to get a second or even third opinion or more if necessary. The conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial.
If chemotherapy is decided upon after the first round of chemotherapy, most men receive further doses on an outpatient basis at a clinic or physician’s office. Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis. Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread.
Recent improvements in medical procedures have made complications occur less often. Whether radiation is as good as removing the prostate is debatable and the decision about which to choose, if any, can be difficult. Be aware that some men chose natural treatment options and forgo any surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.
Besides hormonal drugs, hormone manipulation may also be done by surgically removing the testes. Surgery is usually only recommended after thorough evaluation and discussion of all available treatment options. In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor.
Anyone considering surgery should be aware of the benefits, risks and the extent of the procedure. Chemotherapy medications are often used to treat prostate cancers that are resistant to hormonal treatments.
If you do choose invasive conventional treatment, you can always change your diet and do non-invasive natural treatments too. As new research comes out adjust your treatment options accordingly. If you haven’t been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you should call for an appointment to see your doctor; and if you’re a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, make an appointment soon.
By: Zallhack Froontier
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Technorati Tags: cancer, prostate cancer, prostate cancer symptoms, prostate cancer treatments
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Monday, February 14th, 2011
Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself; most of the sufferers with this type of cancer can live for years without any problems. About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only one man in 34 will die of the disease. Men who are younger than 40 are rarely diagnosed with cancer of prostate.
Cancer that grows inside the prostate gland is known as cancer of prostate. The most common cancer in American men, excluding skin cancer, is prostate cancer. It’s estimated that approximately 234,460 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and approximately 27,350 will die of the disease.
One sign is a need to urinate frequently, especially at night. One of the most common sign is the inability to urinate at all. Some men will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer.
If cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms. If you have one or more prostate cancer symptoms, you should see a qualified doctor as soon as possible. Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can be symptoms to watch out for.
One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm. There is a newer test called AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer. Your doctor may use either one or two of the most common tests for prostate cancer diagnose.
The decision about whether to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion between you and your doctor. A PSA test with a high level may also be from a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities.
Impotence is a potential complication after the prostatectomy or after radiation therapy. Recent improvements in surgical procedures have made complications occur less often. The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms.
In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor. Surgery is usually only suggested after thorough evaluation and discussion of all available treatment options. People considering surgery should be aware of the advantages, risks and the extent of the procedure.
Chemotherapy Side effects drugs depend on which ones you’re taking and how often and how long they’re taken. Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; called hormonal manipulation. What you can do now is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to begin.
Radiation therapy to the prostate gland is either external or internal, both of which use high-energy rays to remove cancer cells and shrink tumors. The conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial. Surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, removes the entire prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissues.
Treatment options can vary based on the stage of the tumor. Prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) may be treated conventionally with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, surgery to remove the testes, chemotherapy or nothing at all.
The outcome of cancer of prostate varies greatly; mostly because the disease is found in older men who may have a variety of other complicating diseases or conditions, such as cardiac or respiratory disease, or disabilities that immobilize or greatly decrease their activities. Just about all men with prostate cancer survive at least five years after their diagnosis, 93% survive at least 10 years, and 67% survive more than 15 years. Make sure to read everything you can get your hands on and mull it all over.
By: Zallhack Froontier
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Technorati Tags: cancer, prostate cancer, prostate cancer symptoms, prostate cancer treatments
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Monday, February 14th, 2011
How Common Is Prostate Cancer?
Among men of a certain age bracket prostate cancer is very common. The risk of having the disease increases with age. Men between the ages of 45 to 80 account for 95% of diagnosed prostate cancer cases. This type of cancer rates 2nd as the most common cancer among men, the first being lung cancer. Heredity plays a large part in the chances of being diagnosed with cancer of prostate.
Diagnosing Prostate Cancer
To diagnose prostate cancer several methods are used including PSA Blood Test, x-rays, biopsies and digital rectal examinations. The PSA test is the most common diagnosis method. All testing for prostate cancer requires multiple tests to confirm a positive result that one indeed has the illness.
Treating Prostate Cancer
The good news is that in many cases prostate cancer grows slowly and does not usually require treatment. Since cancer of prostate is more commonly found in elderly men, a patient will die from other causes before the cancer of prostate fully develops. Since many patients develop prostate cancer slowly, they are placed on “watchful waiting”, where the patient undergoes routine observation and testing. If the prostate cancer becomes an actual threat to the life of the patient, other courses of treatment are then employed including: surgery, hormone therapy and radio therapy.
Radiation treatment (radio therapy), involves high energy waves to kill the individual prostate cancer cells. This eliminates the tumors and results in reduction of the patient’s pain due to the cancer effecting the surrounding bones.
Another treatment uses radioactive pellets placed into the tumor itself, this is called brachytherapy. This treatment has had mixed results but also produces fewer side effects for the prostate cancer patient.
Inhibiting the androgens produced by the blood is called hormone therapy. Androgens are what make prostate cancer cells grow and inhibiting them also inhibits the cancer cells. Problem: after awhile prostate cancer tumors start to grow again without androgens, so other forms of treatment have to be employed.
By: Zallhack Froontier
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Technorati Tags: cancer, prostate cancer, prostate cancer symptoms, prostate cancer treatments
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Monday, February 14th, 2011
Here’s the one fact that all men need to understand: Early prostate cancer detection is the difference between living and dying as far as prostate cancer is concerned.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that cancer is one of the leading causes of death. What you may not have realized is that cancer is the second leading cause of death for men and prostate cancer is a very major contributor.
The reason for this is that prostate cancer can expand beyond the prostate gland and travel to other parts of the body. So a highly curable cancer in the prostate is ignored and kill it grows into other parts of the body and becomes much more deadly.
The sad part is that doctors are able to detect prostate cancer in its very early stages. To complicate matters however, there are a few symptoms that are directly associated with prostate cancer alone. This in turn causes many men to simply ignore common symptoms until cancer of prostate grows beyond the gland and becomes a seriously life threatening cancer.
The good news is that this disease is a slow progressive type of cancer while still localized in the prostate. A person can have prostate cancer for years and not know it if they don’t undergo several very simple diagnostic tests. These tests become even more important, as you age. Men with no family history of prostate cancer should be tested yearly. Black men and those with a family member who has had prostate cancer should consider annual testing at age 40.
Prostate cancer screening tests are simple and inexpensive.
+ Digital Rectal Examination
+ PSA Blood test. Measures levels of Prostate-Specific Antigen a key prostate cancer marker.
Your chance of survival and cure is directly related to early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Consistent testing will dramatically increase the chances of early detection before it gets more severe.
Another benefit of early detection is that the treatment options are much less radical. Earlier treatment methods are much more successful in not only curing prostate cancer but also limiting the complications and side effects of more aggressive treatment options.
If you haven’t been insisting on a prostate exam and blood test for prostate cancer indicators, you owe it to yourself and your family to start now. Don’t make the mistake of assuming symptoms may be simply due to your age. Prostate cancer is a serious illness that needs to be identified as soon as possible.
So at your next annual physical, make certain that basic prostate cancer screening tests are done. This is one of the key ways that you can make certain you life cancer free as long as possible.
By: Zallhack Froontier
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Technorati Tags: cancer, prostate cancer, prostate cancer symptoms, prostate cancer treatments
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Friday, February 11th, 2011
Many studies show that diet can help to prevent prostate cancer. Macrobiotic diet is one of the diets that can reverse and prevent cancer of prostate. If you choose this eating plan, you can only eat sea vegetables and whole grains. Other diets such as low-fat diet can also help to prevent this disease.
A healthy diet especially with darker green vegetables can help in reducing the risk of prostate cancer. For example, studies show that eating broccoli can help to prevent prostate cancer.
Men in rural parts of Japan and China practice low fat diets. Compared to the Western counterparts, their risk of prostate cancer is less than 10 percent. Based on new findings, your body only benefit 25 to 35 percent of fats from the total food consumed. In fact, higher fat intake can lead to many other disorders. Doctors suggest that reduction of the fat intake to 20% of your total calories can help to lessen the risk of developing prostate cancer. Therefore, if you consume 2,000 calories a day, you only take 44 grams of fat. Begin today by incorporating low-fat foods in your daily meals for better health and prostate disease prevention.
Eating fish can also prevent prostate cancer. Men in China are unlikely to have advanced cancer of prostate because of the high consumption of fish in their diet. Fish oils can reduce the risk of prostate cancer as much as 11 percent.
Even though benign prostathic hyperplasia or enlarged prostate is not cancerous, it can become cancer if you don’t treat it. Foods that are rich zinc and selenium can prevent the prostate enlargement.
In 2005, The American Journal of Nutrition mentioned that men who consume lots of dairy products tend to develop prostate cancer more than men who consume little amount of dairy products by 2.2 times. Reducing of the intake of dairy foods in your diet can also minimize the possibilities of getting prostate cancer.
By changing to a healthy diet, it can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Healthy foods can also maintain a healthy prostate gland so that it can function optimally.
By: Zallhack Froontier
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Technorati Tags: cancer, prostate cancer, prostate cancer symptoms, prostate cancer treatments
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Friday, February 11th, 2011
As with all cancers, early detection provides the best chances at survival and recovery. Affecting over 230,000 men nationwide, prostate cancer, considered the most curable cancer, has an almost 100% chance for cure if found in the early stages. Unlike some cancers, there are some simple screening tests that can provide very early information, even before any symptoms arise.
For most men prostate screening is recommended at age 50 and annually thereafter. For individuals with one or more risk factors, being African-American or having any family history of prostate cancer, (relatives such as father, brother or son), routine prostate screens are recommended starting at age 45.
For a thorough screening, two procedures are conducted.
The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSPA) Test is a simple blood test measuring a biological indicator. During a routing physical, men have a rectal exam that checks for physical signs of enlargement in the prostate area. Physicians may counsel men on the importance of understanding risk factors and submitting to an annual prostate screening.
In prostate cancer, cells in the prostate grow and regenerate in an uncontrolled manor, which damages surrounding tissue and may interrupt normal prostate function. When these cells spread to other parts of the body, it is still referred to as prostate cancer, after its place of origin.
Treatments – Conventional and Unconventional
Surgery to remove a cancerous prostate is often performed. The use of laparoscopic surgery has eliminated the need for a large incision and an extended recovery period. An even newer technology, robotic surgery, may be the next step ahead in minimally invasive surgery. With the margin of error between the cancerous cells and the prostate being only millimeters, the precision of robotics is ideal. Important quality-of- life issues associated with prostate surgery are preservation of sexual and urinary function, and reducing the possibility of surgical damage to key nerves is important.
Most patients with prostate cancer die when the cancer spreads to the bones. In an effort to increase survival and prolong remission for patients whose cancer has spread to the bone, studies are investigating chemotherapy in combination with insertion of a radioisotope (radiation emitting agent) directly into the bone. Though traditional chemotherapy is the standard treatment, remission is short. The use of the radioisotope with chemotherapy treatment targets bones with the isotope compound and radiates the tumor inside the bone.
When bone cancer can be subdued, and pain is reduced, patients report a better standard of living. This combination prolongs survival for some months, but as important, gives the patient a much better quality of life.
Some chemotherapeutic agents are so specific they can cut the blood supply to the tumor, trigger programmed cancer cell death.
Similar to some breast cancers in women, the majority of prostate cancers are hormone-affected. Prostate tumors use the testosterone, male hormone, to fuel tumor growth. Of the 230,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States, about one-third need hormone therapy, removal all testosterone from the body, to shrink the tumor.
Though treatment of onset stage of prostate cancer is highly successful, the need for early diagnosis is just as critical. PSA testing has made early diagnosis and cure rate for prostate cancer the highest of any cancer.
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Thursday, February 10th, 2011
While many illnesses and diseases are well understood, prostate cancer is one of the remaining cancerous conditions that is shrouded in misunderstanding. There are several main reasons for this, not the least of which is that men as a group, simply do not want to deal with this very common no cancerous condition.
For many men, prostate cancer affects the very core of how they define their own manhood. The prostate is a key component in the sexual performance and ability of men. Prostate cancer than strikes at the very heart of how many men view themselves. In any event here are a few of the most common questions concerning prostate cancer.
1. What really is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is any uncommon and malignant growth of cells in the tissues of the prostate gland and possibly all over and beyond the prostate.
2. What is advanced prostate cancer?
This is one of the stages of prostate cancer where the cancerous cells have spread outside the prostate into other parts of the victim’s body, causing damage along the way. There are four basic stages of prostate cancer.
3. What are the stages of prostate cancer?
Stage I of prostate cancer is when the cancer is only in the prostate area but hasn’t spread outside the prostate.
Stage 2 of prostate cancer is when the cancer is still within the prostate, but is advancing.
Stage III of prostate cancer is when the cancer has now spread beyond the outer layer of the prostate into nearby tissues.
Stage IV is the stage that all men dread. In this stage of the cancer, it has spread to other parts of the body also known as metastatic prostate cancer
4. What is metastatic prostate cancer?
It is another name for advanced prostate cancer where the cancerous cells have grown outside the prostate and is growing into other body parts. Metastatic prostate cancer is extremely severe.
5. What causes prostate cancer?
There is no singular factor that causes prostate cancer. Heredity is suspected to play a large role in cancer of prostate as is the race of the patient. Black men are much more likely to have prostate cancer than other groups.
6. What can I do about Prostate Cancer?
If you have a prostate and are over 50 years of age, you should really consider getting a yearly prostate exam and having a simple PSA blood test done. This information will provide a baseline for future reference.
Remember that the earlier you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, the more you have to fight this deadly disease and win.
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Thursday, February 10th, 2011
We know that starting at age 40, the levels of the by-product prolactin of testosterone of men increases, stimulating the production of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase that causes the conversion of testosterone to gihydro-testosterones DHT triggering prostate enlargement and cancer of prostate. Therefore in order to prevent the symptoms of enlarged prostate and prostate cancer are to naturally impend the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Unfortunately, aging is not the only causes of prostate cancer as well as enlarged prostate. In this article, we will discuss other causes of prostate enlargement, prostate cancer survival rates, and prostate cancer.
I. Causes of enlarged prostate and prostate cancer
1. Genetics Genetics may also play a role in enlarged prostate since study shows that prostate cancer and enlarged prostates can be inherited from generation to generation.
2. Hormone imbalance The outward appearance of a typical middle-aged person shows increased abdominal fat and shrinkage of muscle mass, which is the main factor causing hormone imbalance. Hormone imbalance is also caused by depression, stress, and anxiety that are the most common psychological complications of hormone imbalance.
3. Cell-growth factor For whatever reason, some people have implicated in enlarged prostate that is a growth factor.
4. Mineral deficiency Our prostate contains high amounts of zinc to function normally. Zinc deficiency causes the prostate to enlarge. This may be due to aging or uncontrolled diet with excessive alcohol drinking.
5. Obesity Study shows that uncontrolled diet that is high in saturated and trans fats are the main cause of hormone imbalance that results in prostate enlargement. Researchers suggest that excess calorie consumption could somehow directly stimulate prostate enlargement because the excess body fat that accumulates causes an imbalance of hormone levels.
6. Testosterone Testosterone deficiency may be caused by high amounts of the by-product prolactin of testosterone of men in the body that stimulates even higher productions of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase resulting in a high amount of the conversion of testosterone to gihydro-testosterones DHT thus triggering prostate enlargement. Excess estrogen seems to be the culprit in prostate enlargement that leads to the pathology and favors the development of prostate cancer.
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Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
Prostate cancer is the most common occurring cancer in men worldwide, and thus is an incredibly serious issue. Prostate cancer is a cancer that occurs in the prostate gland, which is part of the male reproductive system. The prostate gland is the size of a large walnut, and it is located just below the bladder and next to the urethra.
Cancer of prostate starts in the glandular tissue of the prostate gland, and although the exact cause of this cancer is unknown, what is known is that the cancer most often occurs in men over the age of fifty, with married men for some reason being at much higher risk than single men.
Prostate Cancer Treatments
Although as of yet there is no cure for prostate cancer, there are various prostate cancer treatments that are available to help you. One of the most common prostate cancer treatments is surgery, and surgical removal of the prostate, also known as radical prostatectomy, is availablle to many men who are suffering from localized prostate cancer.
This surgery involves the removal of the prostate and as well the surrounding tissues, a specified portion of the urethra, and the seminal vesicles. During the surgery when the prostate is being treated, the surgeon will attempt to save the nerves that are surrounding the prostate, those which are responsible for erections. However, this is not guaranteed.
External beam radiation is another of the more common prostate cancer treatments, and it is one that is more readily available, and in which beams of high-energy radiation treatments are directed from outside the body towards a target inside of the body. Hormone therapy is yet another of the most popular treatments of prostate cancer, and is actually one of the oldest means of treating prostate cancer as well.
Hormone therapy is also known as androgen deprivation therapy, and the point or goal of it is to reduce levels of the male hormones, or androgens, in the body, as these can actually be responsible for helping the disease to spread. Therefore, lowering the levels of these androgens will often make the prostate cancer shrink or at least grow more slowly.
Hormone therapy is typically used in the following situations: if your prostate cancer remains or comes back after treatment with surgery or radiation therapy, as an addition to radiation therapy as initial treatment if you are at high risk for cancer recurrence, before surgery or radiation to try and shrink the cancer to make other treatments more effective, and if you are not able to have surgery or radiation treatments.
The particular type of treatment that you should use for your prostate cancer will be decided by your doctor, and you should never attempt getting involved with any treatment method without referral from your physician first.
By: Zallhack Froontier
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Technorati Tags: cancer, prostate cancer, prostate cancer symptoms, prostate cancer treatments
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