Self Care

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Prostrate cancer

 

The prostrate is an organ that surrounds the bladder opening and urethra of males. Enlargement of the prostate is a disorder among men over 60 years of age. Cancer of the prostate is as common as lung cancer among males. However fewer than 1 percent of men under age 50 have detectable prostate cancer. Past the age of 80, more than 50 percent of males have been shown to have some stage of prostate cancer.

Although prostate cancer is serious, only a small percentage of men who get the disease die of it.

If you have a relative (father or brother) who has had prostate cancer, you may be at higher risk for getting this cancer.

Symptoms

You should consider any block to your normal flow of urine a warning sign, even though such symptoms rarely mean you have cancer.

Screening

There is no clear evidence that screenings are of value. Prostate cancers are being diagnosed more often in younger and middle-aged men. The most commonly used method for early detection of prostate cancer is a digital’ rectal exam in which the medical Provider uses his or her finger to feel through the wall of the rectum for abnormal growth in the prostate . However, because only part of the Prostate can be felt, many prostate cancers are likely to be missed by such an exam Studies also show that as often as 60 percent of the time an abnormal finding proves to be a false alarm after further tests.

Your medical provider may also consider some of the new approaches for detecting prostate cancer, including transrectal ultrasound or a prostate-specific antigen blood test—especially if you are at high risk or if your rectal exam was abnormal. These tests, however, haven’t been proven effective when used alone for screening. But when a digital rectal exam is abnormal, these screening studies greatly increase the rate of cancer detection.