Health Articles

Topics presented at our live & learn programs: information & screenings to help you stay healthy

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Definition
Prostate cancer is a disease in which the cells of the prostate become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors. Tumors that can spread to other parts of the body are called malignant tumors or cancers. Tumors that are not capable of spread are said to be benign.

Description
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States, and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Although prostate cancer may be very slow-growing, it is a heterogeneous disease and can be quite aggressive, especially in younger men. When the disease is slow-growing it often may go undetected. Because it may take many years for the cancer to develop, many men with the disease will probably die of other causes rather than from the cancer.

The prostate gland is the male sex gland that helps make semen. It is about the size of a walnut and wraps around the neck of the bladder. The bladder is the organ where urine is held. The urethra is a tube that goes from the neck of the bladder to the end of the penis. A tumor in the prostate interferes with proper control of the bladder and normal sexual functioning. Often, the first symptom of prostate cancer to develop is difficulty in urinating. However, because the same symptom can be caused by a very common, non-cancerous condition of the prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia), it does not always mean that prostate cancer is present.

Causes
There is no known cause of prostate cancer but, there are things that may put you at higher risk for getting prostate cancer.
· Eating foods that have a lot of fat.
· Having sex with many people or getting venereal diseases.
· Working around the chemical cadmium or other cancer causing chemicals.
· Men over the age of 50 have a higher risk.
· African American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the United States.
· Having a family history of prostate cancer increases risk.

Symptoms
Frequently, prostate cancer has no symptoms, and the disease is diagnosed when the patient goes for a routine screening examination. However, occasionally, when the tumor is big or the cancer has spread to the nearby tissues, the following symptoms may be seen:
· Weak or interrupted flow of the urine
· Frequent urination (especially at night)
· Difficulty starting urination
· Inability to urinate
· Pain or burning sensation when urinating
· Blood in the urine
· Persistent pain in lower back, hips, or thighs (bone pain)
· Painful ejaculation.

Any routine physical exam of a man aged 50 and older should include prostate screening.

Two commonly used methods for detecting prostate cancer are currently available.

Digital rectal examination (DRE) has been used for years as a screening test for prostate cancer. However, its ability to detect prostate cancer is limited. Small tumors often form in portions of the prostate that cannot be reached by a DRE. Clinicians may also have difficulty distinguishing between benign abnormalities and prostate cancer, and the interpretation and results of the examination may vary with the experience of the examiner.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement is a blood test that many clinicians use, but medical consensus on its use and interpretation has not been reached. PSA is an enzyme measured in the blood that may rise naturally as men age. It also rises in the presence of prostate abnormalities. However, the PSA test cannot distinguish prostate cancer from benign growth of the prostate and other conditions of the prostate. PSA testing also fails to detect some prostate cancers--about 20% of patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer have PSA levels within normal range.