Prostate (prostate) cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men. The symptoms of prostate cancer are similar to those of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Therefore, they must not be underestimated.
Prostate canceraffects 20 out of 100 men in Poland. Discovered in its early stages,prostate cancer , like other cancers, has a good chance of being cured. That is why prevention is so important and not ignoring any symptoms that may be signaled byprostate tumor.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer has symptoms such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. Weak urine stream, difficulty starting voiding, pain and burning when urinating, pain in the lumbar region and pelvis, erectile dysfunction, blood in the urine or sperm.
Prostate cancer - how to recognize it?
How To Find Out Prostate Cancer
Every man who notices such symptoms should visit a urologist. The doctor will perform a rectal examination (transrectal prostate examination), order an ultrasound of the prostate gland and the determination of tumor markers in the blood - PSA antigen. If necessary, he will also order a prostate biopsy.
What is a PSA
PSA is an antigen produced by prostate cells. Usually its blood level is low: 1-4 ng / ml. Increased PSA values in the blood serum may indicate prostatitis, prostate irritation or prostate cancer. The determination of the PSA level in the blood serum and the repetition of the test over time is an important indicator in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. If PSA levels are rising rapidly, it may indicate a cancerous process.
Prostate cancer treatment
Prostate cancer grows very slowly. That is why doctors hesitate all the time whether to undertake radical treatment or just to observe the development of the disease. Radical treatment consists in surgical removal of the prostate gland with seminal vesicles and an anastomosis between the urinary bladder and the urethra (radical prostatectomy). In men whose cancer is limited to the prostate (it does not metastasize, radiotherapy is used. Today, thanks to modern imaging methods, radiotherapy can be carried out very precisely, into the cancer focus itself (3D CRT conformal radiotherapy) orintra-tissue, when small isotope grains are placed in the body, in the immediate vicinity of the tumor site (brachytherapy). In the treatment of advanced metastatic prostate cancer, hormone therapy is used to reduce androgen levels. If resistance to hormones develops after many years and hormone treatment ceases to be effective, chemotherapy is administered.