What is Prostate Cancer? 

Prostate cancer is characterized by uncontrolled (malignant) cell proliferation in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland in males that generates seminal fluid, which nourishes and transports sperm [1].

Aside from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer detected in males in the United States, and it frequently develops without symptoms.

Many prostate cancers grow slowly and are restricted to the prostate gland, where they may not cause significant harm. While some types of prostate cancers develop slowly and may require little or no therapy, others are aggressive and spread quickly.

Prostate cancer that is identified early, while it is still localized to the prostate gland, has the best chance of being treated successfully.

 

 

What are the Symptoms of Prostate Cancer?

In the early stages of prostate cancer, there may be no signs or symptoms. There is no discomfort since you cannot feel the developing tumor pushing against anything else. You can have the disease for years and be completely unaware of it. That is why routine prostate cancer screenings are critical.

More advanced prostate cancer can cause the following signs and symptoms [2]:

• An increased urge to pee
• Trouble urinating and straining while you pee
• Blood in the semen
• Blood in the urine
• Decreased force in the stream of urine
• A feeling of fullness in your bladder even after peeing
• Erectile dysfunction

 

What are the Causes of Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer causes are largely unknown. However, several factors can increase your chances of developing the disease [3]:

1. As you get older, the chances of developing prostate cancer increase. Most cases of prostate cancer are in men above 50 years of age [4]. 
2. Prostate cancer is also related to family history. If a person's father or brother has developed prostate cancer in the past, then that person is likely to develop prostate cancer himself. 
3. For reasons not completely understood, prostate cancer is not common in black men and less common in Asian men 
4. Obesity has also been shown to have a positive correlation with the development of prostate cancer.

 

 

Treatment of Prostate Cancer:

The treatment options chosen for prostate cancer depend on the stage of prostate cancer, the patient's age, and overall health. 

If the cancer is in its early stages and is not causing symptoms, your doctor may advise "watchful waiting" or "active surveillance." Both strategies entail closely monitoring your condition. 

Some cases of prostate cancer can be cured if caught early enough [5].

Treatment options include:

1. Surgery: 

Radical prostatectomy is the surgery usually performed in cases of prostate cancer which involves removing the prostate gland along with the surrounding tissues and a few lymph nodes 

This surgery is ideal for prostate cancer that is only confined to the prostate but if the cancer is in its advanced stages it can also be used with combinations of other treatments, like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

 

2.Radiotherapy

To eliminate cancer cells, radiation therapy employs high-powered energy.

It is used either alone or in conjunction with hormone therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470550/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6133140/#:~:text=Symptoms%20traditionally%20thought%20to%20correlate,erectile%20dysfunction%20and%20visible%20haematuria.
3. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/abs/10.7326/0003-4819-118-10-199305150-00007
4. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2633921
5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pros.2990170409

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