Posts Tagged ‘Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer’

Prostate Cancer – Are You Suffering From Prostate Cancer – How Will You Discover It

Comments: 0April 9th, 2010 by admin



What is Prostate Cancer?

Prostate Cancer is the type of cancer that occurs in the tissues of a gland called Prostate. This gland is a small walnut-shaped located in the male reproductive system just below the bladder and in the front of the rectum.

What is its function?

Prostate Gland produces seminal fluid, the fluid that nourishes and transports the sperm. And this type of Cancer is found in the older men in most of the cases, especially among the American men.

In United States alone in 2007, a shocking estimate of 218,890 fresh cases Prostate Cancer has been reported, out of which 27,050 have died due to this disease.

This disease can spread (metastasize) to distant parts of the body. As the malfunctionality of the Prostate Gland directly and seriously attacks the sexuality in a man, Prostate Cancer is scaring the most of the men like hell. Men are becoming much more aware these days about the side-effects of the various treatments available. And its side-effects treatments include bladder control problems (incontinence), erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence.

And if this disease is diagnosed in time when it is limited to the prostate gland, there is a great possibility to get rid of it as there are a number of treatments available with short-term side-effects. If unfortunately the the cancer spreads beyond the prostate gland, then a successful treatment is left with the least possibility. It becomes much difficult to remove it. But there is no need to get disappointed about as there are a lot more ways to cure it.

Symptoms

As such there are no proven symptoms because it does not get easily detected in its initial stages. They usually get discovered when the cancer reaches one of its very advanced stages.

But to name, there are a few of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer that are found in certain cases.

Symptoms in Initial Stage

1. urgent and untimely urination

2. weak urine flow and leakage sometimes

3. difficulty in passing urine

4. discontinued urine flow

5. blood in urine

6. painful ejaculation

7. discomfort or dull pain in your lower pelvic area

8. frequent urination during night

9. loss of appetite and weight

10. constant bone pain

11. dull pain in your lower back, hips or upper thighs

12. painful urination

Symptoms in Advanced Stage

Bone Pain- When the cancer cells reach other parts of your body especially the bones, then bone pain occurs. This pain occurs in particular parts like in the vertebrae (bones of the spine), ribs or pelvis. Pain in your spine sometimes compresses the spinal cord and causes leg weakness and urinary and fecal incontinence (bladder control problems).

Through this information, it will become easier for you to diagnose whether the symptoms you are feeling in you are related to prostate cancer or not. So, that you can go for the treatment that you need.

I wish you the best of health always!

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Early Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer

Comments: 0January 25th, 2009 by admin



The problem with trying to diagnose prostate cancer early is that the symptoms of early prostate cancer are similar to those caused by benign (non-cancerous) prostate enlargement known as Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy or BPH. In fact BPH often causes more symptoms than prostate cancer and is very common in men as they get older. Many men diagnosed with prostate cancer will also have BPH. However many men who have BPH will not have prostate cancer at all.

These early prostate cancer symptoms are mainly due to obstruction of the flow of urine out of the bladder. As the prostate enlarges it makes the tube running from the bladder which carries urine out of the body narrow. This can make it difficult to pee normally.

1. Hesitancy – difficulty with starting to pee

2. Weak Stream – the stream or flow of urine is not as fast and hard as it used to be

3. Straining – you need to push the urine out

4. Prolonged Urination – it takes you longer to pee even small amounts

5. Feeling of Incomplete Emptying – the bladder still feels like there is some urine left in it after you have just emptied it.

6. Urinary Retention – the inability to empty the bladder at all

Other Symptoms are due to irritation of the bladder by the enlarged prostate. Again these symptoms are the same for BPH as they are for prostate cancer.

1. Urgency – when you need to go, you need to go now, it’s difficult to hold on

2. Frequency – you need to pee more often

3. Nocturia – you need to get up in the night to pee

4. Urge Incontinence – where you suddenly need to pee and can’t hold on so you have an accident if you can’t get to a toilet in time

If you have any of these symptoms it is worth going to see your GP to talk about them. Firstly there are many treatments that can help with the symptoms plus the doctor can check that they are due to BPH and not to prostate cancer which could need urgent treatment. If you have these symptoms the doctor may want you to have a PSA blood test or a DRE.

IMPORTANT ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER SYMPTOMS

When prostate cancer has spread outside of the prostate gland it can give symptoms from the areas it has spread to. Sometimes these are the first indication that something is wrong and the cancer is diagnosed late. They can also occur whilst a patient is being followed up (seen in clinic regularly) following treatment for prostate cancer and indicate that the cancer has progressed despite any treatment.

Where cancer invades locally around the prostate gland it can affect the nerves which supply the penis. This can lead to problems getting and sustaining an erection. It could also cause painful ejaculation or blood in the semen. There are many other causes of problems with erections (erectile dysfunction) and you should speak to you doctor about any concerns you have. There are many effective treatments available for this or it may be a sign of something more serious which needs investigating further.

Locally advanced prostate cancer can also cause pain in the pelvis or sometimes felt around the anus (back passage). This pain may be quite severe and is often persistent. Most often men would require strong pain killers from the doctor for this type of pain.

The most common site of secondary spread is the bones. This is usually felt as pain which is persistent and felt in the same place in the bones for a period of time. Sometimes this pain stops you from sleeping properly or affects the way in which you can move around and get on with daily life. There may be just one site or several bones affected at the same time.

The cancer in the bones will also cause them to be more brittle and easier to break or fracture with even minor injuries. If one of the bones in the spine collapses from being affected by cancer it can cause pressure on the spinal cord. This is the bit of the body which sends messages from the brain to the arms and legs to tell them to move and carries messages back about sensation and temperature. If the spinal cord is squashed it can cause numbness in the arms or legs and difficulty moving them. It may also affect the way you open your bowels or urinate, and is often associated with pain in the back. Cancer secondaries in the bones may also cause a high calcium level in the blood which can make you feel nauseous, sleepy, confused, constipated and have abdominal pains.

Remember there are many reasons why (especially elderly) men can get aches and pains in their bones (arthritis etc) but if you are worried you should tell you doctor. They may be able to reassure you or may want to arrange for you to have a bone scan (see earlier). This obviously helps to assess what form of treatment would be most appropriate.

When cancer is more advanced it may start to cause weight loss and a general deterioration in health. If it has spread beyond the bones to other areas of the body it could cause symptoms there e.g. cause breathlessness if spread to the lungs, cause headaches if spread to the brain.

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