Prostate Cancer - Symptoms And Treatment

Prostate cancer is a disease that affects most men between the ages of 40 and 80. Many men know of prostate cancer but may be less sure of details. To that end, there are several questions one can ask. Here, I hope to shed light on some of the more common ones.

One question that is oft asked is what the prostate is? The prostate is responsible for helping make the liquid used in semen. This makes the prostate important if the man in question would like children. The prostate gland is the size of a walnut and resides between the bladder and rectum.

Another question commonly asked is if there are symptoms that can mask prostate cancer or look like it? There is: typically older men will have a condition by which their prostate is enlarged.

When this happens it may cause symptoms such as pain when urinating and pains in the pelvic area, although these may be caused by something completely different so do not mean you have cancer.

Some of the early prostate cancer symptoms are:
• Sudden need to urinate, often at nightn • Painful urination and/or ejaculatio
• Irregular urine flown • Blood in urine (in some rare cases)
• Pain in hip or pelvic area

Again, these symptoms do not mean you have cancer, as they can be caused by many other conditions. However if you do start to have these prostate cancer early symptoms occurring, then you should contact your GP who will be able to advice you whether a test or scan is required.

Radiation therapy is another form of prostate cancer treatments. It is divided into two types - exte
al beam and radioactive pellets. Exte
al beam is performed using an x-ray type machine, while a radioactive pellet is done by placing high doses of radiation right on the prostate's tumor. Unfortunately, most patients that undergo radiation therapy end up with impotence within two years.

Radical prostatectomy is a surgery to remove the entire prostate gland as well as the nearby lymph nodes. A catheter is put in through the penis into the bladder to remove the urine from the body until the area is properly healed. This method offers the best treatment for prostate cancer, as long as the tumor is totally removed. The potential risks of this surgical procedure are impotence and incontinence.

The latest technique using robotic arms to alleviate the risk associated with surgery. During the surgery, the surgeon's hands are connected to a glove-like device with sensors that allow him to use his hands naturally to operate robotic arms that perform the actual surgery. Tiny camera with magnification gives the surgeon a close-up view from the inside. The instruments used are more slender, which results in smaller holes in the body.

Although there is no way to accurately place a percentage or number on if you will develop prostate cancer the best way to be sure is to get tested once a year once you enter middle age.