Prostate Cancer Warning Signs

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What Causes Prostate Cancer

What Causes Prostate Cancer? Prostrate cancer, a malicious disease only seen in males, unfortunately has well known causes. Unlike other cancers, there are also no disease specific symptoms by which the prostrate cancer can be identified at its early stages. Its presence is felt only when the prostrate gland begins to swell and when the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. You may also like to read up on some prostate cancer symptoms which are associated with prostate cancer.

Prostrate cancer is mostly observed in males who are over and above the age of 45. The virus can take years to activate inside the human body. Once activated, the virus begins to multiply rapidly and is a threat to the survival of the person, if its growth is not checked upon time. The fact that it has got no known symptoms makes it more difficult to treat the cancer on time, and hence makes the disease deadlier than ever.

Obesity as the cause of prostrate cancer:

The symptoms of advanced prostrate cancer are majorly observed in individuals who:

• Are obese.
• Consume diets rich in Carcinogen (meat cooked at high temperature).
• Consume a lot of fat especially from non-vegetarian diets.

What Causes Prostate Cancer? High amounts of fat increases the chances of catching the disease. The voluminous Fat present in the body increases the production of testosterone in the body which in turn is responsible for activating the cancer cells.

What Causes Prostate Cancer – Genetic Causes:

• Those men who are related to people suffering from prostrate cancer also have a very high chance of catching the disease.
• Those men who are related to women suffering from breast cancer also have a slight chance of getting infected.

What Causes Prostate Cancer – Other Causes:

African-American men and African-Caribbean men have the highest chances of developing the disease than men of other ethnicity. The reason for this is not known, but if you are an African reading this, you should get checked by a doctor as soon as possible.

Common misconceptions about what causes prostate cancer:

Activities like smoking, drinking, circumcision, infertility, masturbation, an active sex life, use of tobacco etc. and diseases like prostrate infection, inflammation of the prostrate gland etc. have no scientific link with what causes prostate cancer. It is a serious misconception among people who treat them as one of the causes of the cancer.

The question of what causes prostate cancer is one which can have many answers but unfortunately there is not just one thing which cause it, but there are somethings which can give you a higher chance of getting prostate cancer.

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Signs of Prostate Cancer in Men

Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the prostate gland. The tumor usually grows slowly and remains confined to your gland for many years, usually without any symptoms. Also, no outward signs are evident during physical examinations of the prostate. However, as the tumor advances, it can spread beyond your prostate into the surrounding tissues and later to other organs. If it spreads throughout other areas of the body, such as the bones, lungs, and liver, it becomes incurable. Signs of prostate cancer in men is therefore often associated typically with advanced prostate cancer. You can check out prostate cancer symptoms for more information on the signs of prostate cancer in men.

Prostate cancer is initially suspected when a PSA blood test shows abnormal results or when a hard lump is felt on the prostate gland during a routine digital rectal examination. A biopsy of your prostate gland is then done and the diagnosis of prostate cancer is made when cancerous prostatic cells are identified in the biopsy tissue.

Prostate Cancer Warning Signs

If the cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms. At later stages, the following warning signs may be present:

• Frequent urge to urinate, especially at night
• Frequent urination in small amounts
• Incomplete emptying of the bladder
• Dribbling of urine
• Difficulty starting urination
• Reduced force of the urine stream
• Pain during urination
• Pain during sex
• Blood in the urine
• Pain in the lower back, hips, and thighs
• Bone pain in the spine, pelvis, or ribs

Detection and Prevention

If you detect the cancer early, it is easy to treat and can be cured. However, in the advanced stages treatment is difficult, and it is incurable if the disease has spread to organs such as bones and lymph nodes. Therefore, beginning at age 40, all men should possible undergo yearly screening for prostate cancer.

Although your family history and hereditary factors increase your chances of getting prostate cancer, a lot of it depends on your life style habits like smoking, exposure to heavy metals like Cadmium, and eating habits. You need to avoid smoking, minimize or avoid the intake of foods such as red meat and saturated fats, and increase the intake of vegetables, fruits, soybean products, tomato products, and Vitamin E to have a healthy prostate.

Remember signs of prostate cancer in men is often associated typically with advanced prostate cancer so if you show any of the signs listed above you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.

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Signs of Prostate Cancer – Prostate cancer is one of the most common and deadly types of cancers for men in the world today. Like any other type of cancer, prostate cancer is caused when cells start to multiply abnormally and form a mass that is called tumor. A tumor can be benign or malignant, where the malignant ones are always cancerous tumors. Prostate cancer appears in your body when malignant tissues affect the prostate. For more information on signs of prostate cancer in men, click here. If you show any of the above signs of prostate cancer you need to seek medical advice as soon as possible, do not leave it too late.

Signs of Prostate Cancer

Thousands of new cases are diagnosed across the world every year. Signs of prostate cancer, like other prostate problems, commonly occur in men aged 50 and older. Sometimes men may feel the symptoms themselves or sometimes their doctors detect prostate problems during routine examinations. Urologists, who are experts in diseases of the urinary tract, diagnose and treat prostate related problems.

Typically, prostate cancer does not give off any obvious warning signs. Another confusing aspect is that most of the possible warning signs are very similar to the signs for other prostate health problems that are non-cancerous in nature. Also, prostate cancer warning signs are greatly affected by ageing. As you grow older, the prostate continues to grow bigger until it became troublesome. Normally you face problems during urination as an enlarged prostate prevents the proper flow of urine.

Prostate Cancer Warning Signs

The following are some common prostate cancer warning signs:

• Frequent urge to urinate, especially at night
• Incomplete emptying of the bladder
• Dribbling of urine
• Difficulty starting urination
• Reduced force of the urine stream
• Frequent urination in small amounts
• Pain during urination
• Pain during sex
• Blood in the urine
• Pain in the lower back, hips, and thighs
• Bone pain in the spine, pelvis, or ribs

Treatment and Prevention

If you detect the signs of prostate cancer early, it is easy to treat and can be cured. However, in the advanced stages treatment is difficult, and it is incurable if the disease has spread to organs such as bones and lymph nodes.

Although there is most likely a hereditary factor to your chances of getting prostate cancer, a lot of it depends on your life style-related habits like smoking, exposure to heavy metals like Cadmium, and eating habits. You need to avoid smoking, minimize or avoid the intake of foods such as red meat and saturated fats, and take more of vegetables and fruits to have a healthy prostate.

If you show any of the above Signs of Prostate Cancer you need to seek medical advice as soon as possible, do not leave it too late.

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There are many prostate cancer symptoms which you should be aware of and been seen to as soon as possible by a doctor.

Prostate is a small gland found only in the reproductive system of men. It is the size of a walnut and surrounds the urethra, the tube which carries urine from the bladder to the penis. Prostate cancer symptoms are mostly affects men over the age of 50 and is rarely found in younger men. For more information on prostate cancer causes, check out what causes prostate cancer.

It differs from most other cancers in the body in that small areas of cancer within the prostate may not grow or cause any problems or syptoms for many years. As a result, prostate cancer in your body may be detected only after the cancer has spread to the other organs.

However, the survival rate of prostate cancer can be very high if the disease is caught in its early stages. But it is very difficult to diagnose prostate cancer in time as the tumors have to be big enough to be noticeable. Therefore, you might not be able to catch prostate cancer at Stage 1. But if you pay attention to your body, your doctor may be able to detect it as it goes into Stage 2.

Prostate Cancer Symptoms

The five early symptoms of prostate cancer that will help you detect the disease are explained below:/

1. Urinary Difficulties

The first symptoms of prostate cancer are urinary difficulties. This is because as the tumor grows it presses against your urethra. When this happens, a man will experience a frequent urge to urinate, trouble urinating despite the frequent urge, and a very low urine flow.

2. The Presence of Blood

If there is presence of blood in your urine or semen, it needs to be taken seriously. It is a definite indication of a serious problem.

3. Erectile Dysfunction

As the prostate gland is a sexual organ, erectile dysfunction may indicate prostate cancer though not necessarily so. If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction, discuss it with your doctor to make sure prostate cancer can be fully ruled out.

4. Swelling in the Legs

Swelling in the legs is an early symptom of prostate cancer. This is because when the disease starts to spread from one part of the body to another, it will spread into the lymph nodes. As a result, the unhealthy lymph nodes will start to accumulate in your legs and cause swelling.

5. Pelvic Discomfort

Pelvic discomfort is an important symptom of prostate cancer. This is because, when the disease affects the lymph nodes, it can cause them to press up against the nerves in your pelvis, resulting in pain.

If you experience any of the prostate cancer symptoms listed above it is highly recommended that you seek medical advice as soon as possible.

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Prostate cancer is today one of the leading cancers among men across the world. Though the exact cause of the cancer is unknown, there are various factors which are considered as risk factors. The risk factor increases with age, incidence of the cancer in the family, and is also unusually prevalent in certain regions of the world.

The various risk factors are explained in the followin section:

1. Age

If you are 50 years or older, you are at a greater risk of being affected by prostate cancer. More than 70 percent of the cancer has been diagnosed in men over the age of 65.

2. Genetic Factors

5 percent to 10 percent of all prostate cancers can be attributed to an inherited DNA change, such as the cancer susceptibility gene. This may be a reason for a higher risk of inherited prostate cancer in Afro-American men than in Caucasian men.

3. Family History of Prostate Cancer

Having a father or brother, or several relatives who had this cancer at a young age increases your chances of being affected by prostate cancer to a great extent.

4. Race

Prostate cancer is widely found among men in the United States, is quite widespread in Europe, and the least found in South and East Asia. Also, it is more prevalent among the African Americans than the Africans and the Caucasian- American men. Japanese and Chinese men, who are one of the least affected, are greatly affected by the cancer when they migrate to the US due to change in life style and food habits.

5. Diet

The more red meat and high-fat diet you consume, the more susceptible you are to developing prostate cancer. Foods rich in fiber content, soy proteins, and Vitamin A from plant sources reduces the risk while Vitamin A from animal sources increases the risk of the cancer. Obesity also increases the chances of developing hormone-dependant tumors like the prostate.

6. Exposure to Substances

To a small extent, Cadmium is suspected to be a risk when it interacts with Zinc, which is found in the prostate. People who work in the welding industry, make batteries etc. are exposed to Cadmium. Cigarette smoking may also increase your chances of developing this cancer.

7. STD and Vasectomy

Having had a vasectomy or a sexually transmitted disease can pose a small risk to you developing prostate cancer though this is still not established.

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Prostate cancer is today one of the leading cancers among men across the world. Though the exact cause of the cancer is unknown, there are various factors which are considered as risk factors. Various researches have shown that smoking could be one of the risk factors in causing this cancer as well as in aggravating the condition in men stricken with the disease. In addition, research has shown that smoking worsens prostate cancer therapy side effects.

Smoking may help the progress of prostate cancer in several ways in your body. Smoking influences the progression of prostate cancer through a process that affects certain genes in the body and is also likely to alter your hormonal balance by creating an environment conducive to tumor growth. It can increase the amount of steroid hormones called androgens, which can fuel the growth of malignant prostate cells in your body. Also, tobacco is a source of cadmium, a heavy metal that interacts with zinc found in the prostate, which leads to prostate cancer. This human carcinogenic metal inhibits DNA repair in your body, which allows cancer cells to mutate and multiply.

Several research have shown that men under age 65 those who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day for 40 years face a 100 percent increased risk of developing the more aggressive forms of prostate cancer as compared to nonsmokers. Also, compared to nonsmokers, current smokers face a 40 percent increase in the risk of prostate cancer.

In addition, smoking cigarettes could lead to severe side-effects in your body when undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, just as in case of cancers of the head and neck, cervix, lung and breast.. Patients who smoke during treatment normally develop acute gastrointestinal side-effects such as diarrhea, much more severe than nonsmokers. This highlights the importance of quitting smoking before starting radiation therapy.

However, on the positive side smoking doesn’t appear to impact long-term side effects on your gastrointestinal system or on your urogenital system. Research has shown that while the risk of developing prostate cancer increases with the number of packs of cigarettes and the number of years you have smoked, this risk reduces to near that of nonsmokers within about 10 years of your quitting smoking.

Here is a great article on Smoking and Prostate Cancer.

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Prostate cancer: the facts

If prostate cancer is detected in time, then it might be prevented. It is therefore advised that you get to know the facts and fictions about its signs and how to seek treatment.

Myth 1: I don’t have any signs of prostate cancer, so I can’t possibly be having the disease.

Truth: When in its initial stage prostate cancer mostly does not show any signs. However as the disease increases you start to have urinary problems or painful hips or pelvis. Much as these are also prostate cancer symptoms do not be alarmed as these signs can also be brought about by non-cancerous prostate complications. However if you have any of the above mentioned symptoms please do not hesitate to contact your doctor. You can also visit the Prostate Cancer Charity web page for more beneficial tips.

Myth 2: If my doctor or GP recommends that I undergo a Prostate Specific Antigen test or PSA that is proof that I have prostate cancer.

Truth: PSA testing can help detect complications in the prostate gland; however PSA is not mainly connected to prostate cancer. The PSA is present in all men?s blood and so its level can be influenced by a number of things, for example age, infection and a number of medicines. There are also some complications not unrelated to prostate cancers that may influence it thus making its levels high. However is your PSA test results are low, is not an assurance that you are prostate cancer free. This is mainly because cancer in its initial stages does not change the PSA level.

Myth 3: If I have prostate cancer,  can I infect my spouse?

Truth: Prostate cancer cannot be passed on from one person to another be it different sex or same sex. It is also important to note that since women don’t have prostate glands, then there is no way they can get prostate cancer.

Facts:

1. Prostate cancer is the leading form of cancer in the UK. Out of 35,000 men who are detected to be suffering from prostate cancer, 10,000 of them die from it annually.
2. There is a chance of survival if prostate cancer is detected early since it can be controlled.
3. There are two kinds of prostate cancers: the ‘pussycats’ and the ‘tigers’. Pussycats are minor, sluggish in growth, and not likely to affect you. This kind of cancer might not require instant handling. The ‘tigers’ are destructive and reach past the prostate glands. Scientists are attempting to differentiate between the two cancers during tests so that men can be accorded the appropriate remedies.

Prostate Specific Antigen test

The PSA ascertains if the levels of prostate specific antigen available in the blood is normal. If it is high, it means that there is a chance that it could be prostate cancer.

The benefits of PSA test:

• It could save your life by showing traces of prostate cancer even It may indicate prostate cancer ahead of any signs.
• By detecting cancer, it may save your life when you seek treatment before it becomes malignant.

Drawbacks of the PSA test:

• It might not detect cancers at its initial stages.
• In the event that your PSA level is high, you shall require detailed analysis that might have a threat to you live and also after effects. It is known that about two thirds of men who have high levels of PSA don’t suffer from prostate cancer.
• It cannot differentiate between the two forms of prostate cancer, the tiger and pussycat. That means that it can detect a ‘pussycat’ form of prostate cancer that would have otherwise not have brought you any complications or even death.

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