Prostate cancer disease is a common type of cancer in men, however, it is highly treatable and curable in the early stages. This begins in the prostate gland of a male which is located between the penis and bladder.
The various functions of the prostate are mentioned below:
- It produces the fluid which nourishes and transports the sperm
- Secreting PSA which a protein help semen retain the liquid state
- This is helping aid for urine control
As per a study conducted, around 1 out of 9 males are expected to diagnose with prostate cancer at a point in their span of life. However, only 1 in the 41 males lose their life because of this disease. And the reason for this is effectiveness of the treatment, especially when the disease is in early stage. Regular checkups enable specialists to find out large number of cases of prostate cancer before the spread.
Symptoms of Prostate Cancer;
In most cases there are no symptoms in the early stages, however, checkup helps in detection of changes that can give sign of this cancer.
The Checkup involves finding levels of PSA in your blood. High levels suggest that there can be presence of the cancer in your prostate.
Following are some more symptoms for males;
- Difficulty in starting & maintaining urine flow
- Frequent urge of urine at night
- Bloody in semen or urine
- Pain during urination
- Pain in ejaculation in some cases
- Discomfort during sitting position, in case the prostate is enlarged
- Difficulty in getting the erection
What are the stages of prostate cancer?
Knowing about the stage of CA prostate can help a patient understand what he should expect. We have listed the stages below for you;
- Stage 0: Presence of precancerous cells, but affect small area and slowly growing.
- Localized (stage 1): Cancer is present in prostate gland only.
- Regional (stages 2–3): Cancer has advanced and spread to nearby tissues.
- Distant (stage 4): In this stage, Cancer has gone on to spread to other parts the body like the lungs or bones.
Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer;
- If a male person has symptoms, the doctor would most likely do following;
- Ask in detail about symptoms
- Ask personal and your medical history
- Prescribe a Ultrasound and blood test to see the PSA levels
- Ask you to do urine test to find out biomarkers
- Ask for a digital rectal exam.
In case the doctor suspects presence of cancer, he may recommend below mentioned tests;
- PCA3 test
- Transrectal ultrasound
- A biopsy: Your doctor will take a tiny tissue sample for pathological examination under microscope. Only a biopsy can confirm the presence of cancer and it’s type.
Treatment of Prostate Cancer-
- Surgery; Your Urologist may perform a procedure called prostatectomy. They can remove prostate gland using OPEN, LAPAROSCOPIC or a ROBOTIC Surgery.
- Radiation therapy
Options Are Below Mentioned;
Brachytherapy: A Radiation Oncologist will implant radioactive seeds in the prostate in order to deliver targeted treatment through radiation.
Conformal radiation therapy: This type of radiation targets the specific region, which minimizes the risk to healthy surrounding tissues. There is another type which is called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which uses beams with the variable intensity. Treatment shall depend on multiple factors. Your specialist will discuss with you in details after a detailed evaluation done at the Hospital.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is used for treatment of Prostate cancer, however, the final plan of treatment is made after a detailed discussion and final treatment is decided keeping in mind the best interest of the patient.
Hormonal Therapy: Androgens are the male hormones. The main androgens are dihydrotestosterone and testosterone. Blocking the flow or reducing these hormones seems to stop and delay growth of cancer cells. One of the option is do surgery for removal of the testicles which produce most of hormones in the body. Various medications can also help.
Cyber Knife; Cyber Knife System is a non-invasive and non-surgical option for the prostate cancer
