Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men. Prostate cancer develops slowly - it takes even several years from the appearance of the first cancer cells to the onset of disease symptoms. Tests for prostate cancer include digital rectal examination, blood PSA and prostate biopsy. In the treatment of this cancer, among others, hormone therapy - drugs that block male sex hormones, responsible for the development of cancer cells.

Prostate cancer(Latinprostate ) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among men living in industrialized countries. In Poland, 7,095 new cases were registered in 2005, and in 2010 - 9,200 new casesprostate cancer.

The report of the National Cancer Registry shows that in 2008, prostate cancer was the second most common malignant neoplasm developed by men in Poland.

Prostate cancer develops very slowly, often without symptoms for many years. There are cases that even several years elapse from the appearance of the first cancer cells to the onset of cancer symptoms.

For this reason, all methods of early detection and monitoring of the disease development are important.

Prostate cancer - risk factors for developing prostate cancer

Risk factors for prostate cancer are age, race, and a positive family history. The mean age of prostate cancer diagnosis is now 71 years.

Black males develop more prostate cancer, whose mean age of disease is lower than that of white men and whose treatment outcomes are worse.

Much attention is paid to the search for genetic factors predisposing to the occurrence of prostate cancer. It is believed that ifprostate cancerdevelops in a first-degree relative, the risk is doubled for other men in the family.

Currently, 6 sites in the human genome have been identified, the mutations of which may favor the occurrence of this cancer.

The hereditary form of prostate cancer develops at an earlier age, but the course and results of treatment are similar to non-hereditary cases.

Prostate cancer - difficult diagnosis

Basic methodsused in the diagnosis of prostate cancer are:

  • medical interview,
  • rectal examination (also called rectal examination),
  • determination of PSA concentration in the blood serum
  • and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS).

The importance of a thorough history taking is important in making any diagnosis, but in the case of prostate cancer, symptoms are not specific. Their type may depend on the advancement of the changes.

Prostate cancer - symptoms

In cases of cancer limited to the prostate itself, symptoms such as:

  • frequent urination, also at night
  • difficulty urinating (difficulty starting to urinate, weak or intermittent stream)
  • impression of incomplete bladder emptying.

In more advanced cases it may be:

  • hematuria
  • burning sensation when urinating
  • pains in the lower abdomen
  • urinary incontinence
  • erectile dysfunction
  • pains in the lumbar region and perineum
  • blood in the sperm
  • pain and bleeding from the anus.

In very advanced cases, the symptoms of prostate cancer are associated with metastases and include bone pain, pathological bone fractures, paralysis of the limbs and other symptoms of pressure on the spinal cord, lymphadenopathy, coagulation disorders and neoplastic cachexia.

Prostate cancer - research

Rectal examinationis a valid method provided the examiner has adequate experience in interpreting any observed deviations.

It is estimated that this method can diagnose prostate cancer in 30-50% of cases. The remaining percentage requires the involvement of more complex methods. A well-known and widely used method isblood PSA determination .

A high PSA level does not always mean prostate cancer

PSA is a protein produced by both he althy and neoplastic cells. The finding of an elevated PSA level is not synonymous with the diagnosis of cancer, because the increase in this marker also occurs in people with benign prostatic hyperplasia or with inflammation of this organ.

The likelihood of diagnosis increases with increasing PSA levels, and especially as the marker increases over time.

The upper limit of normal is 4 mg / ml. Since PSA levels also depend on the volume of the prostate gland. One of the diagnostic indicators is also the determination of the ratio of PSA concentration to the volume of the prostate glanddetermined by the usg method.

Values ​​>0.15 ng / ml / g indicate an increased risk of neoplastic lesions.

Prostate cancer - prostate biopsy

The final diagnosis of prostate cancer is made on the basis of a biopsy and examination of the collected material under a microscope.

Performing a biopsy does not rule out prostate cancer, because sometimes cancerous cells will not be collected or the number of cells collected is too small for a clear diagnosis of the disease.

However, even a diagnosis does not prejudge further treatment, as the development of prostate cancer in some cases is quite slow and immediate treatment is not always required.

With regard to prostate cancer, the maxim that each case requires observation and an individual approach is particularly powerful.

Male killer? Prostate

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Prostate cancer - treatment

Treatment depends primarily on the stage of prostate cancer.

- For several years we have been going through extraordinary changes in the approach to patients with prostate cancer. This applies to all stages, from diagnosis to treatment of an advanced disease. New reports and therapies need to be discussed among specialists from various fields, so that the path that the patient has to follow is the sum of the best choices for him, says Dr. Iwona Skoneczna, an oncologist specializing in the treatment of urological cancers.

In less advanced cases, an effective cure can be achieved by surgery, using complete removal of the prostate gland. When choosing this method, you should remember about the possibility of complications such as urinary incontinence and potency disorders.

Another method of treatment is radiation therapy, or radiation. Both classical and newer methods using radioactive elements are possible.

This method is also associated with the possibility of unpleasant complications, such as diarrhea, rectal ulceration, urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction.

In addition to classic treatments for prostate cancer, new therapies are available that are of particular importance for advanced cancer cases, which is the case in 20% of patients.

New drugs for patients with prostate cancer

One of the new drugs for the treatment of patients with advanced forms of prostate cancer is cabazitaxel.

The results of treatment with this cytostatics presented at the 2010 congress of the American Society of Clinical Oncologyindicate that the combined treatment with this preparation and prednisone significantly reduced the risk of death by 28% in patients with metastatic prostate cancer resistant to hormone therapy.

Increase in overall survival was 15.1 months compared with 12.7 months in the mitoxantrone group.

Another new preparation available for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer is abiraterone, which inhibits the production of testosterone by inhibiting the activity of one of the enzymes involved in the production of this hormone.

Since testosterone stimulates the development of prostate cancer, inhibition of its formation leads to the inhibition of tumor growth.

A clinical trial with abiraterone included nearly 800 patients with prostate cancer who were found to have inhibited tumor growth due to abiraterone and, consequently, prolonged their lives by an average of 4 months.

In April 2010, the FDA approved the first cellular vaccine called sipuleucel-T for the treatment of metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer.

In the IMPACT clinical trial, it was shown to prolong the lives of patients by 4.1 months compared to the placebo control group. Unfortunately, the cost of treatment with this preparation is very high.

Another new drug registered in thetreatment of prostate canceris denosumab, a human monoclonal protein that regulates the activity of osteoclasts, or osteoclasts. This drug may reduce the risk of bone complications. Another new preparation, zolendronic acid, has a similar effect.

Prostate cancer and diet

Choosing a method of treating patients with prostate cancer is in many cases a very complicated and difficult task for both the doctor and the patient. Not all new features are available, and not all people qualify for them.

Prevention is a method worth recommending to everyone. The risk of developing prostate cancer is reduced by a diet containing soy, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E and lycopene contained in all red vegetables. It is worth remembering and putting vegetables and fruit on your plate every day.

  • Prostate cancer - symptoms and treatment of prostate cancer
  • Prostate cancer. How can prostate cancer be diagnosed
  • Prostate cancer: what tests detect prostate cancer?
  • Prostate cancer: urine test to find cancer and avoid biopsy?

Prostate cancer - life-saving drug is reimbursed too late today

Despite the positive recommendation of the He alth Technology Assessment Agency iThe tariffs on the May reimbursement list once again did not expand the possibility of using a modern drug called enzalutamide in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Today it is reimbursed only in the later stages of therapy, although doctors emphasize that its inclusion even before chemotherapy, when the patient's body is strong, brings better results.

Source: Biznes.newseria.pl

Category:

Oncology