Today, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among the stronger sex. The average age of men prone to this disease is 55-60 years, less often, but there are cases of the disease up to 40 years. At the moment, mortality from this disease is quite high. The problem is that the disease is almost asymptomatic, and screening testing does not always reveal the problem.
The causes and symptoms of prostate cancer are very important to recognize at the earliest stage of occurrence, but how to do it? We will talk about this in the article, as well as how this disease proceeds.
Causes of the disease in men
Quite often, prostate cancer is detected at a late stage, as a result, the prognosis for a person is unfavorable. Although if you pass the diagnosis in a timely manner, then the man will have not only a chance to preserve his own life, but also the opportunity to return to his previous favorite activities. That is why it is so important to know the causes and symptoms of prostate cancer, since it is this information that can save lives.
At the moment, in modern medicine, 6 main causes of the appearance of this disease have been established, namely:
- Genetics predisposition. If a man had relatives suffering from this disease, then the risk of this pathology and he is quite high. Therefore, examination by a urologist is a necessary procedure.
- Alcohol, smoking and drugs. These bad habits are the main provocateurs of this disease. They come first as his cause.
- The abuse of animal food. If you rely on research conducted by a number of scientists, more often men with a menu consisting mainly of animal food suffer from prostate cancer.
- Launched inflammatory processes. Half of the stronger sex on the planet at least once, but in their life have encountered signs of prostatitis. At the same time, the number of men who turned to specialists for help is negligible. But the insidiousness of prostatitis lies in the fact that it’s enough not to take the time to treat it, how it can go into cancer.
- BPH. Adenoma is a benign tumor that quite often develops into a malignant neoplasm. As a rule, prostate cancer occurs in older men.
An important role in the risk factor is played by the ethnicity of the man. Also to this list you can add the intimate life of a person and professional activities. All this can give such a result as prostate cancer. Symptoms and treatment of this disease are listed below.
The stages and symptoms that signal the development of the disease
There are four stages of prostate cancer. Symptoms of each of them are different. Of course, any oncology is much easier to stop at the initial stages of development. But in the case of the prostate, the problem is that at first the cancer proceeds without any signs. It can be discovered by chance, for example, at a routine inspection. And if this happened, then for a man with this problem will be the most favorable prognosis.
First stage. The tumor occupies no more than 5% of the volume of the prostate gland. The complete absence of symptoms, in other words, it does not manifest itself in any way. Prostate cancer of the 1st degree can be cured quite easily, you just need to consult a specialist in a timely manner. The insidiousness of the disease is that it is asymptomatic.
Second stage. In a man, urination is difficult, the frequency of nightly urges increases. A small amount of blood appears in the semen. Pain in the groin area appears, potency decreases. There are no metastases at this stage.
It is worth noting that such symptoms are also characteristic of other diseases - prostate adenoma and chronic prostatitis among them. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose at this stage. This is necessary for the timely recognition of the disease.
Third stage. There is an increase in existing pain symptoms. Urination is very difficult, and the pain in the groin becomes unbearable. Such signs are rather difficult to ignore. At this point, the cancer tumor continues to occupy healthy tissues in the prostate area - this is the pelvic region, testicles and lymph nodes, which are gradually affected by metastases.
If you rely on statistics, then most often a person gets a diagnosis at this stage, that is, prostate cancer of the 3rd degree. Life expectancy is different, depending on the number of already common metastases, such as a tumor. Some men live their whole lives with this ailment, only regularly doing certain medical procedures and visiting doctors.
Fourth stage. At this stage, the tumor grows faster, and its metastases affect almost all organs, bones and even the vertebra.
At the fourth stage, a person's body weight decreases markedly, general weakness and severe fatigue appear. In addition, a person stops eating due to a lack of appetite, vomiting appears, legs swell and there is constant pain in the genital area and vertebra.
The causes and symptoms of prostate cancer may vary. What does it depend on? In some cases, cancer can develop very slowly, while for years it is asymptomatic. Men for several years do not even suspect that they are carriers of a malignant tumor. But there is a completely different situation in which prostate cancer develops "at the speed of light", in which case the patient literally burns out in a few months.
Diagnosis of prostate cancer
To date, the easiest and most affordable way to examine is a rectal examination with your fingers. An experienced doctor can detect the appearance and development of a malignant tumor in the early stages, even with its small size. Examination in this way is strongly recommended to all representatives of the stronger sex, suffering from painful urination.
The second method of examination makes a diagnosis with great accuracy. Modifying indices are used to determine the presence of malignant diseases, which establish how much the PSA antigen is exceeded.
The third method is an ultrasound and transrectal examination of the prostate gland. Often it is used to determine the tumor and take a biopsy of the gland.
The main method for diagnosing cancer is a biopsy. The essence of this manipulation is to take a column of tissue material for examination under a microscope using a thin needle.
In rare cases, but they can supplement the examination with the use of magnetic resonance imaging in order to examine in detail the small pelvis and internal organs.
Prostate Cancer Treatment
Currently, there are the following treatments for prostate cancer. Each method is applied depending on the stage of human damage. There are several ways, namely:
- surgical;
- radiation therapy;
- hormone therapy;
- cryotherapy;
- bilateral orchiectomy.
Now consider in more detail each treatment method.
Surgical method
It implies the removal of the gland surgically. This occurs if cancer (prostate gland) is diagnosed. The operation is carried out mainly for young patients, provided that the tumor is small and associated defects correspond.
A side effect is potential impotence. But to date, quite gentle methods of conducting operations have been developed, they help maintain erectile function in men.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy for prostate cancer is used in stages 1-3. The advantage of this method is that there is a large percentage of the complete cure of a person. And most importantly, there is no need for surgery and an outpatient course. But at the same time, this method has disadvantages, namely:
- May develop urinary incontinence.
- In 40%, impotence develops.
- The occurrence of diarrhea and the discovery of bleeding.
Modern medicine does not stand still, thanks to which, more recently, another effective method has appeared - brachytherapy. The essence of this method is that radioactive sources are introduced into the tissue of the prostate gland. Such manipulation gives an excellent result with minimal risk to the patient.
Hormone therapy
This method includes a whole range of drugs of hormonal and chemotherapeutic origin. These drugs have a detrimental effect on tumor cells. Hormones act overwhelmingly on the production of testosterone, since it is he who contributes to the growth of tumors.
But this method of treatment has side effects, so the consequences of prostate cancer can be as follows:
- development of bone fragility (osteoporosis);
- severe weight loss;
- intensive growth of the mammary glands;
- impotence development.
It is worth noting that, even taking into account all the unpleasant consequences, this method gives an effective result when using it. And most importantly, it is an opportunity to extend a person’s life.
Cryotherapy
An effective method provided that the neoplasm is small. Use this manipulation in rare cases. The method of treatment is that the tumor is destroyed due to low temperature. Moreover, in addition to this method, the use of hormonal drugs is prescribed.
Bilateral orchiectomy
This method of treatment includes the mandatory removal of the testicles in a man. It is used only if it is not possible to remove the neoplasm due to metastasis. At the same time, this method helps to reduce the level of sex hormones by almost 90%. If distant metastases appeared in the presence of such a pathology, then hormonal drugs are also mandatory. Thanks to this, you can extend the life of a person.
In rare cases, oncologists use the so-called waiting tactics. In other words, for a man who has a non-aggressive form of malignant neoplasm, while it does not create any discomfort, treatment is not prescribed. There are several reasons for such actions, some contraindications are possible or surgical intervention poses a great threat to the patient's life. The same goes for radiation therapy.
Treatment in a medical institution is a must if a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer. Metastases can slow recovery, but still it is quite real.
Today, there are a large number of folk methods for treating prostate cancer. But all of them are rather doubtful, and with such a dangerous disease it is extremely dangerous to engage in “shamanism”.
Disease prevention
The causes and symptoms of prostate cancer can be completely bypassed if elementary preventive actions are performed, namely:
- Every year to be examined by a specialist, it is especially important to carry this advice to men aged 50 years.
- Bad habits are one of the main factors in the appearance of cancer, so giving up them will increase the chance to avoid this disease.
- With the onset of the disease, prostatitis should be treated in a timely manner.
- Regular sex life has a beneficial effect on the prostate gland, so it is very important to have a permanent partner.
- Exercise and moderate exercise have a good effect on blood circulation in the prostate. This simple way will help a man avoid this disease.
Prostate cancer can be avoided if a person will be more attentive to their own health. Some doctors recommend being examined by a urologist, starting at the age of forty. This will help to avoid pathology in the form of a malignant neoplasm. And even if this problem is detected, then at an early stage it is successfully treatable.
Survival forecast
Prostate cancer is not a sentence, the main thing is that the disease is detected in a timely manner. In this case, the man will have a chance for a full life. If this disease was detected at the first or second stage, then this can be a guarantee of getting rid of a malignant neoplasm by 100%.
The situation is different if grade 3 prostate cancer is diagnosed. Life expectancy in this case may be lower, but there are quite high chances of extending life. In the prognosis, the age of the patient matters. The younger the man, the greater the chance of success in treatment. As a rule, representatives of the stronger sex under 65 years old are successfully treated.
When identifying the last stage, the chances of life are quite low, unfortunately, the prognosis is disappointing. But in this case, there may be exceptions.
There are certain statistics: during treatment with surgery, the survival rate after this procedure is at least 70%. If they affect the tumor with the help of radiation therapy, then the threshold of 5 years is experienced by 80% of patients.
From all of the above, we can conclude that prostate cancer is an extremely dangerous disease, but amenable to successful treatment. It is also important that modern medicine does not stand still, due to which new methods are constantly appearing that help to successfully cope with oncology not only in men, but also in children and women.
The most important thing is prevention! After all, it depends on this measure at what stage a pathology called prostate cancer is detected. Symptoms and treatment were considered in detail in the article, but the main idea is that you should not ignore the annual examination by a urologist. It is always necessary to remember that a few minutes can save your life.