Prostate Cancer: Symptoms & Treatments

The prostate is one of the smallest organs in the body located just before the groin. Urine in your body passes through your prostate as it controls the flow of urine outside of the body. The prostate is also responsible for nourishing and protecting the sperm with the help of a fluid. However, regardless of its use and importance in the body, the prostate is very susceptible to different diseases. The most common of which, is prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States even surpassing skin cancer.

Causes for Prostate Cancer

Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, researchers have yet to find a definitive cause for its occurrence. They have seen that there are certain age related factors that contribute to cancer in the prostate. So, if you have the following risk factors then it is very possible that you may have to face prostate cancer in the future:

• Age
• Family history
• Race
• Geography
• Certain birth ailments

Although it is very possible to not have any of these risks and still get prostate cancer, these risks can prepare for the worst case scenario.

Symptoms

The symptoms are intense and can be very painful to experience, leaving not a doubt in your mind that something is wrong. And while there are not a lot of symptoms during the early stages of prostate cancer, the ones that do occur go as follows.

• Blood in the urine
• Having difficulty maintaining or achieving an erection
• Painful ejaculation or urination
• Difficulty maintaining or starting urination
• Frequent urges to urinate especially at night.

Now there are just some of the symptoms of the early stages of prostate cancer. As the cancer slowly starts to develop and enter the later stages, symptoms can also increase greatly. Along with the increase in pain near the prostate, you may also experience these symptoms:

• Urinary incontinence
• Excruciating bone pain especially in the spine, pelvis and ribs
• Weakness in the legs
• Fecal incontinence

As the cancer further develops, symptoms become severer and more common. So, if you are experiencing these symptoms, you should contact your urologist immediately.

Treatment

As for the treatment of prostate cancer, it varies depending on the severity of the cancer. Early stage treatment is not often invasive or obtrusive, whereas late stage treatment can get very serious.

Early Stage Treatment

Early stage treatment can sometimes be as simple as just waiting and monitoring the growth of the cancer instead of rushing into treatment. These treatments include:

• Brachytherapy
• Conformal radiation therapy
• Radical Prostatectomy (prostate removal)
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy

Late Stage Treatment

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of treatment options when it comes to late stage treatment. Late stage treatments include chemotherapy and Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Chemotherapy is especially a very late stage treatment option as it tends to kill cancer cells across the body.

Conclusion

Prostate cancer is a very serious disease and is very likely among men that cross the age of 50. Along with other issues that your prostate may experience as you age, cancer is possibly the worst one.

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