More About Porstate Cancer

The prostate is a part of the male reproductive organ which helps make and store seminal fluid.
Prostate cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor (growth) that consists of cells from the prostate gland. The prostate gland is an organ that is located at the base or outlet (neck) of the urinary bladder.

Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, problems during sexual intercourse, erectile dysfunction. Prostate cancer develops most frequently in men over the age of fifty and is one of the most prevalent types of cancer in men. Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in American men and the second leading cause of deaths from cancer, after lung cancer.



The Exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown, but the cancer is thought not to be related to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). The risk (predisposing) factors for prostate cancer include advancing age, genetics (heredity), hormonal influences, and such environmental factors as toxins, chemicals, and industrial products. The chances of developing prostate cancer increase with age.

Prostate cancer is also more common among family members of individuals with prostate cancer.
Testosterone, the male hormone, directly stimulates the growth of both normal prostate tissue and prostate cancer cells.

Treatment options for prostate cancer with intent to cure are primarily surgery and radiation therapy. In the later stages, prostate cancer can spread locally into the surrounding tissue or the nearby lymph nodes, called the pelvic nodes. Prostate cancer usually metastasizes first to the lower spine or the pelvic bones (the bones connecting the lower spine to the hips),
thereby causing back or pelvic pain. The cancer can then spread to the liver and lungs.

The screening tests for prostate cancer are those that are done at
regular intervals to detect a disease such as prostate cancer at an early stage.
The PSA test is a simple, reproducible, and accurate blood test.
The PSA, therefore, is valuable as a screening test for prostate cancer.
Results higher than 10 are considered abnormal, suggesting the possibility of
prostate cancer. The higher the PSA value, the more likely the diagnosis of prostate cancer.