Prostate Cancer:Meaning,Causes,Treatment and Prevention

Cancer is most simply explained as cells in a certain part of the body that have started to grow in an out-of-control and unregulated fashion.
The human body is made up of billions of tiny units called cells. These are the smallest structures in the body that can be considered to be living. They can only be seen under high-powered microscopes. Cells normally go through a life cycle of growth, division, and death. When this occurs in an orderly fashion, cells are created and die in roughly equal numbers. They also normally stay confined to the area of the body in which they were meant to be.
Unfortunately, certain cells sometimes begin to multiply much faster than they die. When this happens, these abnormal cells squeeze out nearby normal cells. These abnormal cancerous cells can also spread outside of their original site in the body and spread to other areas. When cancer from one body site has spread to other areas of the body, the cancer can be said to have “metastasized". This is always an unfortunate occurrence as cancer that has spread is much harder to treat in general.
The prostate is a small, walnut-sized gland that exists only in men. It is situated just below the bladder and just in front of the rectum in the lower pelvis.
The bladder acts as a storage area for urine. When the bladder is emptied, the urine travels through a thin tube called the urethra to the penis and then out. The very beginning of the urethra as it leaves the bladder passes directly through the prostate. This fact accounts for why so many men with either prostate cancer or BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) develop trouble urinating. As the prostate enlarges, the urethra is pinched off, leaving a smaller tube to carry urine from the bladder to outside the body.
Since cancer is the uncontrolled and abnormal growth of cells in a certain area of the body, prostate cancer is simply the uncontrolled and abnormal growth of cells in the prostate.

Most Common Symptoms of Prostate Cancer?

Because of the prostate's location in the body, prostate cancer is often accompanied by a number of unique symptoms. The prostate is located just below the bladder in the lower pelvis. As urine empties out of the bladder it travels through a thin tube called the urethra. At the very beginning of the urethra, just as it exits the bladder, it passes directly through the prostate. As the prostate enlarges due to cancer or another problem, the urethra is pinched tighter and tighter within the prostate. As the tube narrows, urine has a much harder time making its way through the urethra and out of the body.

This results in four primary urinary symptoms:

• Frequency - urinating much more often than normal.
• Urgency - having a sensation that you need to urinate immediately.
• Nocturia - getting up to urinate multiple times during the night.
• Hesitancy - difficulty starting the urine stream.

All of these symptoms are a direct result of the urethra being pinched closed by the enlarged prostate.

Prostate cancer is not the only disease that can cause the prostate to swell, however. In fact, BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) is a much more common cause of an enlarged prostate and, thus, of urinary symptoms. BPH is not cancer, but is still an important condition that should be treated by a physician.

TREATMENT

After your prostate cancer has been diagnosed, staged, and graded, your physician will evaluate the unique characteristics of your cancer as well as your general health in order to suggest a prostate cancer treatment plan.

Four standard treatment options are widely available today. One or more of these may be selected by you and your physician once the pros and cons of each are carefully weighed. Additionally, a number of less common treatment options are available.

1.     Surgery

The primary goals of surgery are to remove the cancerous tissue from the body, to remove other structures that may contain cancer (such as lymph nodes), and to minimize damage to any normal, cancer-free tissues and organs that are nearby.

Radical Prostatectomy – The prostate, some surrounding tissue, and the seminal vesicles are all completely removed. This is, by far, the most commonly chosen type of surgery for prostate cancer.

This surgery can be completed by entering the body from two different sites:

o    Retropubic Radical Prostatectomy – The initial incision (cut) by the surgeon is made in the lower abdomen between the navel and just above the penis. From this site, lymph nodes near the prostate can also be removed and examined for evidence of cancer.

o    Perineal Radical Prostatectomy – The initial incision (cut) by the surgeon is made in the skin between the anus and scrotum. From this site, lymph nodes cannot be removed, so a second incision is sometimes needed in the lower abdomen to remove them.

2.     Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy consists of the use of high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation works by damaging the DNA that is needed by cells to grow and divide.

Radiation is focused in such a way as to damage and kill as much of the cancer as possible, while minimizing the amount of healthy nearby tissue that is affected.

Radiation can be delivered to the area of cancer in two primary ways.

o    External beam radiation – A source of radiation outside of the body is used.

o    Brachytherapy – A source of radiation is implanted or inserted into the body.

3.     Hormonal Therapy

Male sex hormones, such as testosterone, are produced naturally within the body. Prostate cancer can grow in response to these hormones, so therapy to block the production or effects of these hormones is sometimes used.

A number of different medications have been developed to accomplish this. Hormonal therapy is sometimes used alone, but it is more often used in combination with other treatments such as radiation.

Some examples of hormone therapy medications are:

o    Anti-androgens (flutamide, nilutamide)

o    LH-RH agonists (leuprolide, goserelin

o    Adrenal gland blockers (ketoconazole, aminoglutethimide)

o    Estrogens

an changes in your lifestyle actually lead to prostate cancer prevention? Every year, more and more research is done showing that there may be associations between certain everyday lifestyle choices we make and the development of prostate cancer.
PREVENTION

1.     Maintain a Healthy Weight

Numerous research studies have shown a clear association between obesity and the development of prostate cancer. Scientists are not sure as to why this association exists, but it clearly does.

Prostate cancer is more common in obese or overweight men. With rates of obesity climbing higher each year, this has become the most important lifestyle-related issue for men concerned about prostate cancer.

Additionally, obese men have higher rates of surgical complications, experience more problems with radiation treatments, and have lower survival rates than normal weight men.

The remaining lifestyle choices below including exercise and nutrition considerations are all applicable to the goal of maintaining a healthy weight. Regardless of the specific decisions you make regarding exercise and nutrition, a healthy weight must always remain as a primary goal.

More information about maintaining a healthy weight is also available.

2.     Don’t Overindulge on Red Meat or Fatty Foods

Men who eat diets that include a great deal of red meat have been found to have higher rates of prostate cancer.

It is unclear as to why this is. Some scientists believe that men who eat red meat are ingesting higher levels of certain types of fat and fatty acids that may be harmful to the prostate. Others feel that grilling can add dangerous chemicals to the meat that raise a man’s risk of various cancers including prostate cancer. Still others feel that these men are simply cutting fruits and vegetables out of their diets in order to eat more meat and, thus, losing the benefits gained from these foods.

Whatever the reason, the data is clear that men who have diets high in red meat also have higher rates of prostate cancer.

3.     Eat the Right Amount and Type of Fruits and Vegetables

It has been shown that men who eat 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day have healthier hearts and lower rates of cancer than those who eat less.

Tomatoes, in particular, have been shown to lessen a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer. Lycopene, a natural chemical found in tomatoes, pink grapefruits, and a few other foods, is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants, like lycopene, act to destroy free radicals in the body that have been shown to change normal cells into cancerous cells.

Studies have shown that increasing the amount of tomatoes and tomato-based foods (like pasta sauce), also has positive effects on men who already have prostate cancer.

4.     Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise for at least 30 minutes at a time and at least 3 days per week is essential for prostate and total body health.

Not only does regular exercise help you to maintain a healthy weight, it also has been shown that men who exercise regularly have overall lower rates of cancer, tolerate cancer treatments far better, and survive their cancer at higher rates.

More information about exercise and how it can help you to maintain a healthy weight is available.

5.     Look Ahead to the Long-Term

Lessening your risk of developing prostate cancer is not something that can be done overnight. One weekend of eating the right foods and exercising will not significantly change your chances of getting this disease. However, lifestyle modifications that are carried out through years are a whole different story.

Fad diets, impossible exercise routines, and unrealistic expectations are not helpful in the long-term. Finding a diet and exercise plan that you can handle and then sticking to it for the long-term will provide the best results for prostate and total body health.