Prostate Cancer: Why we need to care more
When it comes to cancer, I feel confident in saying that most of us are familiar with breast cancer. Research, campaigns, and awareness projects are all over the world- helping educate and inform young women about the risks and what to look for.
On the flip side, testicular and prostate cancers, while well known is not as prominent within media. Unless it's Movemeber, a movement that only started in 2003, we seem to talk very little about it. And what's more frightening, most men aren't sure what to look for. For this blog post we are going to first explore prostate cancer, then the following post we will look more into testicular cancer.
What are the facts about prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer within their lifetime! The prostate is part of a man's reproductive and urinary system. It surrounds part of the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis. The prostate is important because it makes a mucus and prostatic fluid, which mixes with sperm and other fluids to make semen.
Cancer is developed when there are changes to the cells in the prostate. Changes can be benign (non-cancerous) or they can be precancerous. The problem with prostate cancer is that it is often slow growing, making it harder to detect, so many men can be living with the cancer for YEARS before it is detected.
In 2017, it was estimated that 21,300 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 4,100 would die from it. While the death rate has been declining over the years, it is still a rather large number of men passing away.
Types of Cancer
The most common form is called Adenocarcinoma. It accounts for 95% of all prostate cancers. This is when the cancer starts in the gland cells of the prostate. Adenocarcinoma usually develops in more than one area site of the prostate, which is called multifocal cancer.
Other cancers are rare in the prostate but can include:
- urothelial carcinoma (also called transitional cell carcinoma)
- Sarcoma
- small cell carcinoma
- carcinoid tumours
- squamous cell carcinoma
What are some risk factors?
- Being over the age of 50
- Having a family history of prostate cancer. In addition, if you have a family member who was diagnosed with prostate cancer BEFORE the age of 65, your chances also increase.
- Race: it has been shown that African American men have a higher risk factor of developing prostate cancer
- Overweight has been shown to be diagnosed at an advances stage. High body fat has been linked with a higher risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer
- Low levels of vitamin E or selenium-> still requires more research to understand the relationship between the two.
Signs and Symptoms
- Difficulty urinating
- Urgent need to urinate
- Frequent urination, especially at night
- Burning or pain when urinating
- Difficulty starting or stopping urination flow
- Being unable to empty bladder fully
- blood in urine
- Blood in semen
- Painful ejaculation
- Trouble getting erect
- pain or stiffness in the bones of the hips, back, or chest
- weakness or numbness in legs or feet
- loss of bowel control
- a cough that doesn't go away OR shortness of breath
Early detection
When prostate cancer is found early, the chances of successful treatment are better. If you are at a higher risk, visit your doctor more often and talk to them about tests that can help find prostate cancer early such as the digital rectal exam (DRE) and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Most physicals with doctors can easily include a DRE exam. A PSA test is often used to measure the levels of PSA in your blood. PSA is made by the prostate, and when levels are higher than normal it can indicate cancer.
The importance
When detected early enough, there is a 100% survival rate for men with prostate cancer. Most men do not usually die from the cancer itself, but from complications that arise due to the cancer, especially when it is in it's most aggressive stage. At a stage 4 cancer rate, when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, there is only a 28% survival rate. This reiterates the importance of being informed, getting checked out, and being aware of changes in your body. It doesn't take too much effort to increase your chances of survival, but the first step in making sure you have the knowledge to know when something is different.
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