However, as a person ages, this gland could increase in size and could not only cause problems, such as frequent and slow urination, but could also harbor cancerous cells. Colon Cancer Symptoms Age These cells could cause havoc in the surrounding organs and also spread to other parts of the body. Once afflicted, a person will have to explore various treatments for prostate cancer so as to regain his health again.
Symptoms and screening of prostate cancer
While a reduced flow of urine and frequent urination, especially at night could indicate an enlarged prostate, it would usually not indicate anything more than discomfort due to advancing age. But if the person notices blood in his urine and also experiences pain in his lower back or pelvic muscles then that should warrant an investigation. A routine prostate examination would enable the doctor to look for hard lump in and around the surrounding tissues of the prostate gland. The doctor conducts this test by inserting a finger into the rectum of the person so as to feel for any hard nodules. If the doctor feels that this test warrants further investigation then a PSA or Prostate Specific Antigen test is conducted to look for the specific protein in the blood for people that have prostate cancer. Once this test confirms the worst, then treatment needs to be administered immediately.
Various treatments for prostate cancer
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Before exploring various options of treatment, doctors will have to evaluate the condition of the cancer. It could be confined to only the prostate gland, i.e. organ confined, or might have increased in size and spread locally, i.e. locally advanced, or might have spread to other organs such as the lungs or liver among others, i.e. metastasis. While surgery is usually the best option for organ confined or locally advanced form of prostate cancer, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, radiation and cryotherapy, which involves freezing the cancer cells could also be used in a combined manner to beat back the cancer. However, if the patient has reached the stage of metastasis prostate cancer then chemotherapy and hormonal therapy could be used only to alleviate the symptoms to a certain degree or slow down the pace of infection until the inevitable. The right form of treatment would rest in the hands of the doctor and the condition of the tumor and the patient.
In case the patient has organ confined prostate cancer but shows no signs of any symptoms then doctors could also decide to wait and watch the patient, which is also known as watchful waiting. The patient needs to go in for regular tests so as to strictly monitor the gland for any advances made by cancerous cells as prostate cancer usually spreads quite slowly. This is applicable for patients at an advanced age or for those that also suffer from other serious diseases. But this option is considered as risky by many medical experts. There are also other treatments including herbal medicines and acupuncture, but since no long-term tests have been conducted, it is difficult to point out the efficacy of such treatments.
Although prostate cancer usually affects people over 40 and spreads slowly as compared to certain other cancers, it is vital to get screening tests done regularly to catch the disease in the initial stage itself. There are various treatments for prostate cancer including surgery that could enable the patient to get rid of prostate cancer and live a long and healthy life.
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