Men's Health

What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer in Men 

What is prostate cancer? 

Cancer develops as cells in the prostate gland begin to get out of control. Any cell in the body can develop into a cancer cell and spread to other body parts. Only men have the prostate gland in their bodies. It produces a percentage of the fluid that is found in semen. 

The prostate is placed in front of the rectum and beneath the bladder, a hollow organ that stores urine (the last part of the intestines).

Seminal vesicles, a group of glands just behind the prostate, produce most of the fluid for semen. The urethra, the tube that exits the body through the penis and delivers urine and sperm, passes through the middle of the prostate.

As a man matures, his prostate's size may change. It is approximately the size of a walnut in younger men but can grow considerably bigger in elderly guys.

What are the signs of prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer may be undetected in its early stages. When symptoms do appear, they may be urinary symptoms similar to those of an enlarged prostate or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). See your physician if you experience any of the following signs:

• Lower pelvic area suffering from dull pain

• Frequent urge to urinate

• Difficulty passing urine, discomfort, burning, or a weak urine flow

• Urine with blood in it (hematuria) 

• unpleasant ejaculation

• Upper thighs, hips, or lower back pain 

• Loss of appetite

• Weight loss

• Bone pain

What causes prostate cancer?

What makes prostate cells turn into cancerous ones is unknown to experts. Like other cancers, prostate cancer develops when cells divide more quickly than usual. Cancer cells do not eventually die, but normal cells do. Instead, they increase and develop into a lump known as a tumor. Parts of the tumor may separate and spread to other areas of your body as the cells continue to divide (metastasize). 

Fortunately, prostate cancer typically advances slowly. Most tumors are discovered before your prostate has been affected by the disease. At this point, prostate cancer is quite curable.

What are the risk factors of prostate cancer? 

The most prevalent risk elements include:

• Age: Becoming older puts you at greater risk. If you're over 50, you have a higher chance of being diagnosed. Prostate cancer affects adults older than 65 in about 60% of cases, ethnicity, and race. You are at higher risk if you are Black or have African ancestry. Moreover, you have a greater chance of developing prostate cancer before age 50. 

• Genetic: If you have Lynch syndrome or inherited altered (mutated) genes linked to an elevated chance of developing breast cancer, your risk is higher (BRCA1 and BRCA2).

• Family history: If you have a close relative with prostate cancer, your risk of developing it is two to three times higher.

Some of the other factors are:

• Smoking

• Prostatitis

• BMI greater than 30 (having obesity). 

• Sexually transmissible diseases (STIs). 

• Exposure to Agent Orange (the chemical used during the Vietnam War).

Diagnosis for prostate cancer

You are advised to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of screening for prostate cancer with your GP. We have mentioned common ways of diagnosing cancer. 

1. Blood tests

Prostate-specific antigen is a protein measured by the PSA blood test (PSA). Prostate and prostate cancer only produce PSA. Nanograms of PSA per milliliter (ng/mL) of blood are the standard unit used to express test results for this procedure. With the PSA test, you can check to see if your prostate's capacity to create PSA has changed. Cancer staging, therapy planning, and monitoring treatment efficacy all use it.

2. Digital Rectal Exam 

A physical examination known as a digital rectal exam (DRE) is done to detect prostate changes by your doctor. 

This examination is also used to diagnose and stage cancer and monitor the effectiveness of treatment. During this examination, the doctor feels the gland for any abnormalities in its thickness, nodules, or shape. The DRE is secure and simple but cannot detect early cancer independently. The PSA and DRE work well together to detect prostate cancer early before it has a chance to spread. The spread of cancer may be slowed or stopped with early prostate cancer treatment.

3. Biopsy

This procedure may be done if screening tests reveal prostate-related problems. This aids in making a precise diagnosis. An organ or prostate tissue sample is used in a biopsy to check for cancer cells. Prostate biopsies may be performed in a variety of ways. This may involve a specialized imaging tool, such as an MRI Scan, and a probe inserted into the rectum and passed through the skin of the perineum (located between the scrotum and rectum). 

4. Staging and Grading

There are four stages of prostate cancer. The growth rate and size of the cancer cells determine the stages. The Gleason Score and the T (tumor), N (node), and M (metastasis) Scores serve to identify the phases.

5. Gleason Score

The pathologist grades cancer if a biopsy reveals it. The Gleason Score grading system is generally used system of grading. The Gleason score measures the rate cancer cells spread and impact surrounding tissue. A pathologist grades prostate biopsy samples after removing them and determining their Gleason grade. Samples with small, densely packed cells receive lower marks. More widely spaced-out cell samples receive higher marks. The two most frequent grades observed in a biopsy sample are added to determine the Gleason score.

6. Staging

The process used for tumor staging is called Tumor, Nodes, and Metastasis (TNM). The initial tumor's size and extent are rated using the T (tumor) score. Prostate-specific tumors are more easily treated than those that have metastasized (spread) to other organs. Metastasized tumors are incurable and need to be treated across the body with drug-based therapy.

Treatment for prostate cancer

Your overall health, whether cancer has spread, and how quickly it is spreading are just a few factors that will affect your treatment. Depending on your therapy options, you might collaborate with urologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists. Most prostate cancers discovered in their early stages can be treated and recovered.

Some of the ways prostate cancer may be treated are:

• Surveillance

• Surgery

• Radiation therapy

• Systemic therapies

• Focal therapy