Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer

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Skin cancer is the number one form of cancer in the United States. Do you know what the second one is? I’ll give you a minute…

Did you immediately jump to breast cancer? If you did you are by far, not alone. However, you would be incorrect. The second leading cancer type is prostate cancer. Think about that for a moment, prostate cancer is the leading non-skin cancer diagnosis. This usually comes as a surprise to most people, but that’s ok. I write these blogs to pass out information, and oft times I find myself learning something in the process as well. In fact the American Cancer Society published a report that stated “about 1 in 8 women in the US will be diagnosed with breast cancer; but, did you know 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer?”  If you are African American the numbers increase to you having an 1 in 5 chance and if you have prostate cancer in your family history you are at an 1 in 3 chance. This means more men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. So, let’s discuss prostate cancer!

What is the prostate?

Many men are unaware of what the prostate actually is or where it is. The prostate is a small gland that is part of the reproduction process. It supplies seminal fluid which is responsible for assisting the delivery of sperm through ejaculation. It is located between the base of the penis and the rectum. Every man should get tested for prostate cancer starting at age 50. There are two test methods, one is a digital rectal exam, where the doctor will insert a finger into the rectum and check the size of the prostate for enlargement. The DRE test is quick and should be pain free. The other method is a blood test that checks specifically for prostate specific antigen and will take up to 14 days to get the results.  

Signs and Symptoms

Prostate cancer can be present for years and have no signs and symptoms. There isn’t an absolute causation that has been identified for prostate cancer. The best we have to go on is certain factors that increase your likelihood; such as racial background, geographical location, family history and age. A prostate that has a tumor will grow in size however it usually doesn’t press up against anything in that area that creates any pain allowing for continued growth without detection. Although signs and symptoms are rare however, some people do present with some.

• A need to urinate frequently, especially at night, some- times urgently
• Difficulty starting or holding back urination
• Weak, dribbling, or interrupted flow of urine
• Painful or burning urination
• Difficulty in having an erection
• A decrease in the amount of fluid ejaculated
• Painful ejaculation
• Blood in the urine or semen
• Pressure or pain in the rectum
• Pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, pelvis, or thighs

If you experience any of the following, contact your doctor for further examination. Having signs and/or symptoms (of anything) does not mean that you are positive for something. So, it is imperative to be checked out by your practitioner.  According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation “While prostate cancer incidence rates are high, the good news is that approximately 95% of all prostate cancers are detected when the cancer is confined to the prostate, and treatment success rates are high compared with most other types of cancer in the body.”