Before, men never talked about problems related to sex among themselves, but today it has become a coffee table topic among the many.
And one of the largely discussed topic is Prostate Cancer.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most frequent cancer among men.
• Over 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65 years of age.
• In Kenya, 17 men die every day from prostate cancer.
• For every 100 men, only 4 agree to do the digital rectal examination.
• Usually does not give symptoms until very advanced stages.
• Men have to undergo revision after 50 years.Prostate cancer
What is it?
• The prostate is the sexual gland of the man responsible for producing the semen.
• It is the size of a walnut and is located under the bladder of urine, surrounding the urethra.
• Prostate cancer starts when the prostate cells begin to grow out of control.
• Difference of another type of cancer, the prostate is characterized by evolving very slowly.These are the check ups that never go away and they will let you sleep peacefully
Risk factor’s
• Age: the probability of suffering from prostate cancer increases rapidly after 50 years.
• Family background
• Food
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Sexually transmitted infections Diagnosis
• Prostate specific antigen, USG, prostate biopsies.
• Transrectal ultrasound
• Prostate biopsy
• Rectal touch Treatment
• Surgery
• Radiotherapy
• Hormonal therapy
• Chemotherapy
Treatment with vaccines Warning signs
Discomfort or difficulty urinating
• Some of the symptoms of this disease are similar to those of a urinary tract infection and easy to confuse with it when you urinate.
• Itching or difficulties to start urination.
• As they are not too annoying, they usually go unnoticed. Urinate more often
• Another symptom of prostate cancer is an increase in how often you urinate, especially at night.
• This symptom is often confused with other diseases, such as diabetes, so it is important to clear the doubts with a doctor. Pain or burning in the urethra and bladder
• The urethra is an organ that may feel affected when prostate cancer begins.
• If you feel pain or burning in the urethra or bladder when urinating or at any time, you should consult your doctor as it is a symptom of prostate cancer and other diseases. Pain in the lower back
• While it is true that this pain can be caused by many other reasons, it is usually ignored as a symptom, because it is attributed to muscular causes.
• If you are persistent or if you have a feeling that it is more than a simple back pain, it is always good to have a checkup. Decrease in the strength of urine
Feeling that the flow of urine is interspersed or that it can not be expelled correctly even if there is an urgent need to urinate is a symptom of early prostate cancer, which is sometimes confused with infections and goes unnoticed. Back pain during urination
This symptom is characteristic of more advanced stages, so it is necessary to consult the doctor quickly.
This is how the check up works that prevents prostate diseases Presence of blood in fluids
• If the urine becomes reddish or brown, there may be blood in it.
• Also, pre-seminal fluids or ejaculation can be stained red or show blood threads.
• This may be a symptom of a cancer in an intermediate stage. Difficulties during sexual intercourse
Erection problems or the difficulty of ejaculating despite feeling desire to do so are common in prostate cancer. Bone-ache
• Although it can respond to many causes, it is a symptom to be taken into account, especially if it is accompanied by any of the other symptoms mentioned.
• Bone pain is due to inflammatory processes that are initiated by cancer. Be over 60 years old
• Most cases of prostate cancer occur in men older than 60 years.
• However, it can also appear in men of 50 years and even 40.
• This is because several factors determine the onset of cancer, according to the US Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Myths of prostate cancer
“The more sexually active, the more risk of getting prostate cancer”
• There are not many studies that support that the greater frequency of sexual relations causes prostate cancer.
• What has been proven is that it can help release certain proinflammatory molecules that could be associated with prostate cancer.
• Experts from the Harvard Medical School point out that a man who ejaculates 21 times or more a month is 33% less likely to have prostate cancer than he who ejaculates 4 to 7 times in the same period.
“The treatment of this cancer makes men impotent”
• Yes and no. Prostate surgery can increase the risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction, which of course decreases the libido, but this does not mean that in all cases it is like this.
• The time that men can take to get an erection after surgery is usually one year, and two years if it is sexual penetration, although some men with luck would take less time.
“Prostate cancer is a disease of an old man”
While it may be true that 65% of cases are detected in those who are 65 or older. Also, it is a reality that 35% of cases are diagnosed at an early age.
“Prostate cancer in early stages has no symptoms”
Prostate cancer in the early stage can be the most confusing and difficult to diagnose, so it is essential to have a digital rectal examination and prostate antigen once a year.
“If my relatives do not have cancer, neither do I”
• It is true that family history and genetics play an important role in developing prostate cancer, but it is NOT a rule.
• There are several cases where the diagnosis of prostate cancer was not related to family history.
Does having the level of elevated prostate antigen in the blood equals cancer?
False, the prostate antigen may be elevated by prostate cancer, but also by causes other than cancer.
“The examination of the prostate is annoying and painful”
Lie, is a simple and quick test that serves to evaluate the state of the prostate gland.
“Vasectomy causes cancer”
If you plan to have a vasectomy, you have nothing to fear: before, it was believed that this procedure increased the risk of prostate cancer. But recent studies have shown that there is no relationship between this practice and cancer
