Prostate Cancer Symptoms

  The prostrate is a walnut-sized gland found only in males. It surrounds the urethra near the neck of the bladder, in front of the rectum. It secretes seminal fluid to nourish the sperm, and ejects it during ejaculation. We know the prostrate less for its role in the reproductive system than for the problem it creates in the form of prostrate cancer. One in six American males gets prostrate cancer, and one in thirty-two dies of it. It is the second most fatal cancer after lung cancer. The onset of cancer starts as the person ages, and blacks are more prone to it than whites. It runs in the family, though no specific genes have been isolated. The peak incidence of cancer starts in the age group of 65-75.  

Symptoms:

Difficulty starting to pass urine

Weak or intermittent flow of urine

Dribbling of urine before and after urinating

Frequent or urgent need to pass urine

Need to get up several times in the night to urinate

Bladder never feels completely empty

Occasionally finding blood in the urine

One of the most common symptoms listed above is the difficulty starting to pass urine, but keep your eye out for the others. If you have any of these symptoms for prostate cancer, you should see a qualified doctor as soon as possible.

Most of the time if the cancer has not spread, treatment with Radiation Therapy will be the recommended procedure. Another common form of treatment is Radical Prostatectomy. This procedure involves having the whole prostate and its dependent parts removed. This is a very intense operation and is only recommended for those in good health. Doctors also commonly recommend hormone therapy to help suppress your testosterone levels. This will slow down the division process of the cancer. Hormone therapy can be used alone or with other procedures like radiation treatment.

Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells, but Chemotherapy is only used when the cancer has spread past the prostate. The drugs used in chemotherapy are administered on an outpatient basis and do not typically require a hospital stay. I defiantly recommend researching the various treatment options in depth as the topic is worthy of a relatively large book.

By Jay Carmichael