Prostate Cancer Warning Signs

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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 cancer 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. Symptoms and signs are therefore often associated typically with advanced prostate cancer.

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.

Technorati Tags: Cancer, Early, Men, Prostate, signs, Stage, symptoms, treatment, Warning

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 mostly affects men over the age of 50 and is rarely found in younger men.

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.

Early 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.

Technorati Tags: Cancer, Early, Erectile Dysfunction, Pelvic Discomfort, Presence of Blood, Prostate, Swelling, symptoms, Urinary Difficulties