Friday, January 27, 2012

How Knowledge Of Prostate Cancer May Help You

By Owen Jones


Knowledge is power, isn't it? knowledge empowers you to be able to do something. Having information on prostate cancer at your finger tips will enable you to have more opportunity of diagnosing yourself or helping your family and friends. One of the concerns with prostate cancer is that it grows slowly but by the time you notice it, it can be well advanced.

The information that you will find in this piece is stuff that I have discovered for my own information and benefit. It is not definitive medical advice. For that depth of knowledge you will have to talk to a physician.

I am not a medical doctor, but my father and a good friend passed away of prostate cancer and as a man, I have a fairly high risk - one in six - of contracting the problem myself, hence my interest.

It seems that there are things that a man can do to lower the likelihood of getting prostate cancer and these include eating healthily and doing manly things like sport and manual labour. One of the worst things you can do is sit on your prostate gland all day long - desk jobs and watching TV is not healthy for the prostate.

If you are not able to help but have a sedentary lifestyle, then you have to be aware of the early symptoms of prostate cancer so that it can be treated before it becomes life-threatening. The foremost thing to be on the look out for is problems urinating.

Most older men have problems with their bladder, but once it starts happening to you, go to your physician and have it checked out. It might be nothing except age, but on the other hand ...

The bigger the problems, such as pain or bleeding, the more reason that you ought to go to the GP. Frequent urination may be the first sign of prostate cancer but it could just mean that you are getting older too.

I was once told by my Thai optician that the reason why I was losing my sight was because I was 'prematurely senile'. it can happen, but I asked him to check the wording and he returned with 'premature senile cataracts'. We had a good laugh about that.

Prostate cancer is curable. Around 90% of people are cured (some surveys say 85% others say 95%), however, it very much depends on catching the disease in its infancy. All men over around 40 ought to have a check up at least one time every year, perhaps two times. The test is unpleasant but quick, painless and easy - a finger up the bum.

Dying of prostate cancer is the result of neglect these days, because it grows slowly in its preliminary stages, but once it gets a hold, it goes like a train and moves to other areas of the body, giving the patient a lot less opportunity of recovery. If the worst comes to the worst you can do without your prostate gland anyway - after all, women don't need one.




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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Prostate Cancer Questions And Answers

By Owen Jones


As men get older they run more and more risk of getting prostate cancer. Some doctors recommend frequent check-ups after the age of 50 or even 60, but others say that you ought to start checking at 40.

It is wiser to begin checking as early as you can and certainly at 40 or 50 years of age, because the earlier it is diagnosed, the more opportunity you have of surviving it. The difficulty with prostate cancer is that it spreads more quickly than most cancers.

In this piece, we will attempt to give answers to a couple of basic questions that you may have concerning this male disease. However, there is only space here for the fundamentals, so please take significant questions to your medical doctor.

What is the prostate gland and where is it? The prostate is around the size of a walnut, but is conical in shape. It is part of the male reproductive system and is linked to the penis because it is wrapped around the urethra right up near to the bladder.

This makes the prostate somewhere between the anus and the penis. Because of its position, it is not easy to get at and so most examinations are rectal ie from the colon. Many men find this embarrassing, which is why a lot of men put of a check-up until it is too late.

What are the chances of having prostate cancer? White American males more than the age of 50 have a one-in-six chance of developing some malignancy.

Hispanics and Blacks have a one-in-four risk. However, all these figures rise if there is a history of prostate cancer in the family.

What are the indications of prostate cancer? This question is not simple to answer, because the symptoms can look like other concerns and everyone knows that 'all old men' have bladder concerns

The prostate swells as it grows older anyway, so this could be the cause of urination issues. This is characterized by urinating a little at a time, but having to urinate frequently. Sometimes there are drips too after you have put it away.

The symptoms of prostate cancer are comparable but may include blood in the urine and lower back pain. If you have anything like these concerns, you need to have a check-up as soon as you can.

Can prostate cancer be diagnosed early enough to save life? Luckily, the reply to this is yes. There are two forms of examination: 1] the DRE - digital rectal exam (or 'finger up the bum') and 2] the PSA blood test (prostate specific antigen), although this test is frequently just carried out if the DRE raises suspicions.

If the cancer is caught early enough through regular screening, the chances of living more than five years are over 90%. Continued success depends on several causes, but the cancer can also be totally eradicated never to return.

It can not be emphasized too much, that, as with some female-specific cancers, success fighting this cancer relies on catching it early.




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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Prostate Gland - Eating The Right Foods

By Owen Jones


Many, if not most, men over the age of fifty or so worry about the likelihood of their prostrate causing them concerns in the near future. The fact is that numerous men will have issues with their prostate and the proportion is fairly high.

For most men, this will mean little more than frequent visits to the bathroom, where urination will be sparse. Nocturnal visits to the bathroom are also common. Some men might find themselves in the upsetting situation of 'dripping', which involves a wet patch on the trousers.

These are fairly dreary prospects, but there is far worse that can occur. It all has to do with the prostate which encircles the tube from the bladder to the penis. It swells from the inside not the outside and so it 'bites' on the urethra cutting off the flow of urine.

This produces the effect of having a full bladder but not being able to evacuate it fully. This in turn could cause urinary tract infections (UTI's) and produce problems for the kidneys which may be life-threatening.

Some individuals think that a diet containing certain foods in quantity will put off or even prevent significant issues with the prostate gland. Here are a couple of the most important ones:

Lycopene: is a robust antioxidant which is accountable for the red colouring in numerous foods such as carrots, red grapefruit, watermelons, papayas and tomatoes (but not cherries or strawberries). It is a carotene that exists in many red-orange natural foodstuffs.

Lycopene is deposited in the adrenal glands, the liver and the testes, which seems to cause it to be especially effective against prostate cancer. Research continues and there is not enough proof to convince the world's Western health authorities yet, but it is recognized as a non-dangerous food colouring in the USA, Europe and Australia.

Lycopene is usually best eaten raw, but with one notable exception - tomatoes. The chemical is more readily absorbed from cooked tomatoes. Hence the advice to consume unsweetened tomato sauce.

Lycopene is not merely beneficial for men as it will help in glandular, heart and liver issues as well. It is worth watching the development of this research carefully and adding red fruits to your diet anyway.

Quercetin: is a flavonoid found in fruits, vegetables, leaves, grains, and both green and black tea. It is especially present in (red) onions, red grapes, raspberries, lingonberries, cranberries and tomatoes. (Notice all the red fruits).

Studies have shown that organically produced or wild fruits have far more quercetin than the 'intensively farmed' varieties. 70% more in the case of tomatoes. Comparable percentage increases, between 50% and 100%, were found for most wild fruits.

Quercetin has anti inflammatory characteristics and some research has suggested that it may help reduce the danger of cancer, but as yet, no leading health authorities have been persuaded that it is useful at preventing or curing cancer. Another one to watch though.

It is not at all a problem to add some of these foods into your diet. Scientists have been telling us for decades to consume more fresh fruit and vegetables, simply make certain you add a few more red ones and drink tea rather than coffee.




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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Suggestions For Preventing Prostrate Cancer

By Owen Jones


Make no mistake about it, prostate cancer is a life-threatening disease. Not only that, but it will kill all men that it affects unless they do something to stop it. The number of deaths per annum is falling, but it still stands at just under 30,000 men a year in the USA alone.

Successful therapy relies a great deal on the early diagnosis of the illness and if caught early, the success rate of survival is as high as almost 90%. Prostate cancer can afflict men of all ages, but the older the man, the more chance he has of getting it. The age when the risk begins to rise is 50 years of age.

The occurrence of prostate cancer before 50 years of age is fairly to very rare and is considered to be linked to DNA or hereditary reasons. Therefore, if there is a history of prostate cancer among the men in your family, start planning regular check-ups when you are 40 or even 35, just to be certain.

Numerous people believe that there is a robust link between cancer and smoking, because they contend that smoking can deform the DNA permitting cancers to grow more freely. If you believe this, then it makes sense to stop smoking or never take it up.

Diet is a means to maintaining a healthy body and an effectual immune system. The regular advice is to consume a balanced, low-fat diet which is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, low in fat and high in fibre. To this you could add high in lycopene and quercetin, both of which are available openly in fruit and vegetables.

Lycopene is the red dye found in numerous fruits such as tomatoes, dragon fruit, red cabbage, carrots, water melons, peanuts and many others and quercetin is discovered in numerous leaves that are used to brew tea, both green and black teas. Some have higher amounts than others.

Drinking water and exercising is an excellent way of massaging the internal organs and flushing out the excess toxins that your body creates just by being alive. Exercise is also said to amplify the immune system and will help you tackle not just prostate cancer but other illnesses as well.

Frequent testing for (prostate) cancer remains the best procedure for the prevention of a life-threatening situation. A PSA test will reveal the amount of antigens that the prostate is releasing into the blood.

This is one of the first indications that there might be a problem on the horizon. Frequent testing will provide a benchmark to see whether the figure is rising, which it might do due to no other reason than your advancing age.

As with all cancers, it is necessary to diagnose prostate cancer early. When your GP is sure that there is a malignant growth there are quite a few methods of tackling it. Which procedure is chosen depends on you and the state your body is in.

You can prepare for the eventuality by keeping your body in passable shape; doing some research and being conscious of the options, which you will need to discuss with your medical doctor.




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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Which Is The Best Prostate Cancer Therapy?

By Owen Jones


This question bothers millions of individuals worldwide each year. Although prostate cancer can only affect men, any significant, life-threatening infection has an effect on not merely the sufferer, but also his family and friends. Doctors and surgeons also wonder what the best prostate cancer treatment is each week.

In this piece, we will try to give you some food for thought on the issue so that you may do more research on the Internet later or have some questions prepared to pose to your gp.

It is better to be able to comprehend the terminology and have some fundamental concept of what the disease is than to be completely oblivious.

Having said that, you should not use this article of around five hundred words to base your medical judgments on. This piece is only meant as a motivation for further investigation.

The first thing to consider is the general health of the sufferer and the phase of development of the cancer. These two issues will establish which treatment is most suitable. The important thing with prostate cancer is to catch it very early on because it spreads so rapidly when likened with most other cancers and spreads early.

If you have been having regular check-ups and the cancer has been noticed early, your physician might make a decision that he wants to 'wait and see'. This can be upsetting for the patient as the patient expects cancer to be taken on instantly.

However, if the cancer is in an early stage, it may be better to monitor its speed of development before deciding what to do about it After all, you do not want to go through unnecessary remedies, only to have to be treated again afterwards.

if you are worried about waiting or the treatment suggested (or combination of remedies), go for a second opinion. You will not offend your physician by doing this, in fact, it relieves him of some responsibility, so he will probably be glad of it.

If the cancer is still small, hormonal treatment might be recommended. Male hormones are partially responsible for the speed of growth of prostate cancer, so if you reduce or cut off these hormones (testosterone in particular), the rate of growth of the cancer ought to slow down.

It might become possible to do this with medication or surgery might become unavoidable. This will mean castration either chemical or surgical. Both sound radical, but it might mean less side effects.

Again, if the cancer is small, they may make a decision to try to kill it with external radiotherapy beams. These beams resemble X-Rays, but far less perilous to healthy tissue. That is, they can be tightly focused on the cancerous cells, causing very little collateral damage.

If the cancer is spreading fast, the team may suggest cutting it out. This may involve a full or partial prostatectomy. This is why waiting and watching it might be a good tactic in the early stages. You do not want radical surgery if it is not absolutely vital.

There are quite a few options for the treatment of prostate cancer and over 80% of sufferers are cured, but it has to do with those regular tests to a large extent.




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Monday, January 9, 2012

Understanding Prostate Cancer Symptoms

By Sandy Ingram


Cancer is one of those diseases which if not treated at the right time can become a cause of death. Many people just ignore the symptoms of the disease when they see them and account them for the change in their eating habits. Prostate cancer is becoming widespread among men lately. The deaths caused due to this cancer are only second to lung cancer and colon cancer in Men. The increased deaths can be mainly reasoned as a part of ignorance on the part of the people. Proper education on understanding the Cancer Symptoms can be very much advantageous in restricting the number of deaths caused due to this.

Numerous physicians are now recommending HIFU to their prostate cancer patients due to the limited number of harmful side effects associated with the procedure. HIFU offers patients a procedure that is controlled and precise, thereby limiting side effects, such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence, which are common with other treatments for prostate cancer. A prostate cancer patient only needs to devote up to three hours for this procedure and may leave mere hours after the procedure it done. They just have to wait for the anesthesia used to minimize discomfort to wear off. HIFU is non-ionizing and does not utilize radiation. Therefore, HIFU treatment can be used on a number of occasions without damaging healthy tissue. Due to this, physicians use HIFU when they do not see successful results using other prostate cancer treatments.

The Sonablate 500 is possibly the most well known HIFU therapy option utilized for the treatment of prostate cancer. It is currently used in a number of hospitals and clinics around the world. It is controlled through a computer and delivers the HIFU energy directed right at the infected area via a small rectal probe. Through this action, all tissue infected by cancer is eliminated. Through the use of integrated biplanar ultrasound imaging, relating planning and monitoring is offered throughout the duration of the treatment, as well as images both before and after of the entire infected region.

The Role of Biopsy Biopsy is a very important part of the watchful waiting routine since it is the only way for doctors to get the insights they need about the progress of the cancer. During a biopsy, the pathologist is able to stage the cancer as well as assess whether the cancer has any potential to get aggressive.

The intensity of these symptoms depends on the stage of the cancer. All these need not be due to such a kind of cancer they can also be due to many normal things. Hence the person need not get tensed, the person just needs to consult a doctor and get their advice to make sure they are safe.

Other symptoms of this cancer There are further some symptoms of this cancer that should not be neglected at any cost. These include blood in the urine and semen. These signs are something that you should act upon immediately in order to avoid future health complications. Even swelling in the legs is one of the symptoms that one should not neglect as this can be associated with the cancer.

Richard R. Lotenfoe, MD, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and Board Certified Urological Surgeon in Orlando, Florida. He specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer using the HIFU procedure.The HIFU Treatment uses ultrasound to destroy prostate cancer cells.




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Friday, January 6, 2012

Prostate Cancer And Metastasis

By Owen Jones


The prostate is an organ only present in the male body - women do not have one. It is located deep inside the under part of the body and surrounds the neck of the bladder and the first section of the urethra. It is quite small being around three by four centimetres and is most easily accessed from the back passage.

A couple of things can go wrong with the prostate and it is very likely that one of them will have an effect on every man in later life to some degree or another. Some of the most common concerns are:

prostatitis which is the inflammation of the prostate due to bacterial disease

the benign enlargement of the prostate which is a common part of the aging process, affecting many men over 50 years of age

prostate cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer in men

The growth of prostate cancer seems to be positively linked to the presence of the male hormone androgen. Castration has a noticeable positive impact on the growth of prostate cancer.

The prostate is conical in shape, but has five definite lobes. Cancer nearly always develops in the rear-most lobe, whereas benign growths seem to prefer the other lobes.

All worries with the prostate have the effect of making urination difficult. This is why older men tend to go to the toilet often. Prostate cancer also grows more quickly than most other types of cancer.

Because of this, older men ought to have check ups for prostate cancer fairly frequently. Not merely does prostate cancer grow quickly, but it also spreads quickly. The medical term for this diffusion is 'metastasis'.

If this kind of cancer is not diagnosed soon, it will spread quickly through the various internal organs, the lymph nodes and the blood. Death may happen soon after detection, unless it is caught at a very early stage.

Self diagnosis is almost impossible because it is a small internal organ buried between the penis and the anus. One of the first indications is a problem with urination, but by then it can already be too late to avoid metastasis.

If the cancer progresses to the bladder and urethra, urination will become painful and there might be blood in the urine as well. If the cancer is advanced, urination might become impossible and kidney issues will follow soon. Kidney failure or kidney disease is a common side-effect of prostate cancer.

If the metastasis is well advanced, there could be back pain in the lumbar area or in the hips. Shortage of breath would indicate a further development of the cancer to the lungs. A general feeling of weakness might be the next symptom.

if caught early enough, prostate cancer can be treated fairly successfully. Frequently a catheter is needed, but it could also mean dialysis if the kidneys have been badly affected.

Part of the prostate can be removed, but it is also possible to remove it completely, although not without consequences. Other remedies include hormones and chemotherapy.

Some people say that prevention can be procured by homeopathic treatments or a healthy diet, but the jury is out on that one officially.




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