The prostate gland is a small gland located just below a man’s bladder and is responsible for secreting the fluid that causes ejaculation. Prostate cancer begins when the cells in the gland grow and develop more rapidly than the normal cells. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men, especially in the United States.
What are the causes of prostate cancer?
There are some common risk factors that are associated with prostate cancer tat as a man u need to know and they include the following;
- Family History. Quite a number of men who have a family history of prostate cancer are at a higher risk of developing the same compared to men who have no traces f the same in their family lineage. The closer the relation with the given relative previously diagnosed with the cancer, the higher your chances of infection.
- Age. This type of cancer most commonly affects men who are above the age of 65, but the likelihood of a man developing this type of cancer increases after the age of 50. In very rare cases are men below 50 years of age diagnosed with prostate cancer.
- Eating habits. The diet a person regularly takes may affect the risk of getting prostate cancer, just like a majority of other diseases that are determined by a person’s lifestyle. Men of a healthier weight have lower chances of developing cancer compared to men who are overweight.
Signs and symptoms
Prostate cancer can develop for a number of months or even years without showing any symptoms. However, as it progresses, some common signs that can be detected include swelling in the legs. Trouble when it comes to urinating due to pain, and increased frequency of urination. There is also the problem of pain during ejaculation which can lead to erectile dysfunction and at times, there are traces of blood in the urine and semen for the patient.
If you see some of these signs or unusual swelling around the prostate, you should visit the doctor immediately for screening and commence treatment if the results are positive.
Treatment options for prostate cancer
There are a number of treatment options for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. They are:
- Cryosurgery – this involves freezing the infected tissue to kill the cancer cells.
- Prostatectomy – this is the surgical operation performed to remove the infected prostate gland in order to prevent further spread of the cancerous cells.
- Therapy – this may take the form of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy. Chemotherapy involves the patient taking drugs that have chemicals to kill the cancer cells while for radiotherapy, the prostate gland is exposed to high-energy radiation that shrinks the cancer cells, thus killing them. In hormone therapy, the body is stopped from producing testosterone by the administration of drugs, since testosterone is what the prostate tumors use in order to grow.
Preventive Measures
Doing regular exercises as well as maintaining a healthy diet ensures that you remain healthy, thus reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer. As a man, you are also advised to visit the doctor regularly for screening so that in the case of infection, the cancer is detected at the very early stages and treated.
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