Prostate cancer means the cancer that is initiated when cells start developing out of control inside the prostate gland. The prostate is a gland found exclusively in men which is located below the bladder and in front of rectum. It produces a fluid that is part of semen that nourishes and carries sperm. Just behind the prostate, there are glands called seminal vesicles which make up most of the semen fluid. The urethra, is a tube-like structure that takes urine and semen out of the body through penis passing through center of the prostate.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer forms in men. This cancer grows slowly and is confined to prostate gland initially, where it does not cause any significant risk or damage. Although certain types of prostate cancer, develop slowly and may need minimal or no treatment, while other forms are aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis and can spread rapidly. There is a better chance of successful treatment when prostate cancer is confined to prostate gland and detected early.
Adenocarcinoma is the most common histology found in prostate cancer. Other less common histologic types include neuroendocrine prostate cancer and small cell prostate cancer. Such rare variants appear to be more aggressive, produce less Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), and spread outside the prostate.
Compared to other types of cancer, prostate cancer is rare and unusual. This is because a lot of prostate tumors do not spread to other parts of the body rapidly. Many prostate cancers develop very slowly, and for years they do not cause signs or problems. Even when prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body, it can often be managed for long periods with good health and quality of life. However, with the existing treatments if cancer cannot be controlled, it can cause symptoms such as pain and fatigue and can sometimes lead to death. Monitoring the growth over time is a vital aspect of treating prostate cancer to find out whether it is growing gradually or rapidly. Depending on growth history, the doctor should be able to determine the best possible treatment options available.
Physicians know that prostate cancer occurs when the prostate cells are abnormal. Mutations in the DNA of abnormal cells allow the cells to expand and divide faster than ordinary cells do. The abnormal cells continue to live when other cells die. These cells that accumulate into a tumor that can expand to invade surrounding tissue. Many abnormal cells can also split off and spread to other parts of the body (prostate cancer metastasis).
Prostate cancer is caused by changes in the DNA of a normal prostate cell. There are various prostate cancer causes including:
No signs or prostate cancer symptoms can be caused in early stages, yet screening can detect changes that may indicate cancer. Screening includes a blood test which measures PSA levels. High levels suggest the presence of cancer.
The possible symptoms for prostate cancer include:
It is controversial whether healthy men without prostate cancer symptoms should be screened. Some medical associations suggest that men should start screening for prostate cancer in their 50s, or earlier for people who have the risk for prostate cancer. Talk to your doctor about the advantages and disadvantages of screening. Together you can decide if screening for prostate cancer is the right for you.
Screening is used to detect cancer in the early stage before you have any signs or symptoms. There is a better chance of the cancer cure if the it is detected early. Scientists have developed tests that can be used to screen a person for different types of cancer, and continue to improve. The goal of cancer screening targets to:
Lower the mortality rate from the disease, or eliminate deaths from cancer
Lower the number of people who develop for the disease
For men who are at average risk for prostate cancer, the general guidelines include:
1) Age 40: Men at very high risk especially those who are more than one first-degree relative like father, brother, or son (who had prostate cancer below 65 years of age)
) Age 45: High-risk men such as African American men and men with a first-degree parent diagnosed at the age less than 65 years
3) Age 50: Men at average risk of prostate cancer and expected to live for at least 10 more years.
These recommendations apply to men who:
Surgery to remove the prostate and radiation therapy are the most common treatments for prostate cancer. There are some common risks from prostate cancer treatment such as:
Mostly all men are at risk for prostate cancer. Around one man in nine can be diagnosed with this disease during his lifetime, but only 1 out of 39 will die of it. Approximately 80% of people over 80 years of age have prostate cancer. Apart from age, there are other factors that can potentiate the risk for prostate cancer.
Based on the size and spread of the tumor, prostate cancer can be divided into different stages. Large cancers that have affected tissues or organs surrounding the prostate are at a higher stage than small cancers and are located only in the prostate. The doctor should know the following parameters in order to stage the prostate cancer:
Prostate cancer staging involves the consideration of test results to determine whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body from the prostate. Knowing the stage helps the doctor decide which type of treatment is best and can help predict the prognosis of a patient increasing the chance of recovery.
Staging also includes Grade Group (indicated prostate cancer grading) and PSA level which can distinguished the stages of prostate cancer as:
Cancer is slow growing in this early stage. The tumor cannot be detected and even the PSA levels are low. The cancer cells are well differentiated that they look like healthy cells.
In this stage, the tumor is found only in the prostate and PSA levels are medium or low. Even though stage II prostate cancer is small but can have an increasing risk of the growth and spread of cancer.
In stage III prostate cancer, the PSA levels are high or the cancer is high grade. These indicate that the cancer is likely to grow or spread or it is locally advanced.
The cancer spreads beyond the prostate to distant lymph nodes, regional lymph nodes, other parts of the body, or to the bones in this stage.
Prostate cancer types are categorized into two based on the growth such as:
