Prostate cancer, out of many identifiable types of cancers in this world, is an increasingly common disease in the males. It is a type of cancer occurring only in men above the age bar of fifty years as instances of cancers occurring in younger men are very uncommon, at least hitherto. This type of cancer occurs in the prostate glands of the men. This gland is a reproductive organ found only in men. These types of cancer have a general advantage of sluggish growth. However, instances of aggressive growth of these cancers are also not unheard of. Sometimes, prostate cancer can also spread from one part of the body to another.
Most of the symptoms associated with this type of cancer surface in later stages. Some common symptoms are pain, intercourse problems, blood in urine, urinating and bladder control problems. Now, the question which arises here is that how and why prostate cancer occurs in men. There are a number of factors which determine whether or not a person is prone to prostate cancer. Some of these factors are listed below.
- Heredity plays a very important role in determining whether a person would be prone to prostate cancer or not. In fact people who have a history of prostate cancer in their family should consult an oncologist and take precautionary tests to detect whether they have any cancer cells in their body or not.
- Lifestyle in contemporary times have become such that many men have become couch potatoes, which is with very less physical activities. This mostly leads to the development of obesity in men. Obesity is in fact one of the factors which in later life causes prostate cancer in men.
- People with high blood pressure are equally prone to prostate cancer.
There are few methods in which prostate cancer can be detected in men. The most accurate method is biopsy. Biopsy is in fact the most accurate method in determining mostly all types of cancer. Ultrasound or ultrasonography is also used in many hospitals to detect prostate cancer. Another method is that of Magnetic Resonance Imaging or in common words the MRI.
Prostate cancer is a cancer which develops stage wise. The very basic stages are T1 and T2. In these stages the cancer is limited to the prostate region only. The advanced or the aggressive stages are T3 and T4 wherein the cancer is seemed to have spread in other parts of the body as well.
After detecting prostate cancer in men three steps can be undertaken.
- Detecting the stage and the rate of growth of the cancer. If both are at a controllable stage then it is to be thought whether the cancer needs a treatment at all or not.
- Undergoing radiation therapy.
- Undergoing radical prostatectomy.