Parsteiner Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Prostate Cancer’

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer. Every year it kills more than 30,000 American males.

There are two different types of the cancer – an aggressive and deadly one and the other a slower-growing and less harmful one. Making possible prostate cancer detection and its severity anticipation is the way to save thousands of men a year from surgery (treatment) they don’t need. The big problem is not the surgery itself, but the situation they will face the side effects of that treatment such as impotence, bladder control troubles and possible worst conditions.

To be able for this performance, doctors use varying techniques. The newest methods involve 3-D mapping, a biopsy method in which a grid is placed over the prostate to evaluate the amount of cancer and its precise location. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) is another possibility to detect the severity of prostate cancer. Because PSA can reveal how quickly the cancer changes over time, specialists hope that they will be soon able to anticipate the more aggressive form of prostate cancer.

In the context of accuracy, more typical methods have recently been the subject of debate. One of panel conclusion was that the still standard biopsy helps doctors determine whether cancer is present.

Prostate cancer patients should be very interested in doctor’s abilities and methods to determine the severity of their illness. They need a right evaluation of stage and progression of cancer as more men die with prostate cancer than of it.

According to a study published in the March 2006 issue of Cancer Research, capsicum helps halt prostrate cancer spread. Capsaicin probably has a certain positive consequence, the study concluded. Most important seems to be blocking NF-kappa Beta effect, a molecular mechanism that promotes cancer cell growth.

Capsicum it’s a pepper and capsaicin is the ingredient that makes them hot.

The study concluded that in prostate cancer cells whose growth is testosterone dependent, capsaicin influenced more prostate cancer cells to freeze in a non-proliferative status, called G0/G1. The research team also found that prostate cancer cells that are androgen independent reacted to capsaicin in a similar manner.

Based on team’s explanation, capsaicin lowers the amount of androgen receptor that the tumor cells produced, but did not obstruct normal movement of androgen receptor into the nucleus of the cancer cells where the steroid receptor works to regulate androgen target genes such as PSA (prostate specific antigen). The same source claims that capsaicin had a significant anti-proliferative action on human prostate cancer cells in culture. It also significant slowed the development of prostate tumors created by those human cell lines grown in mouse models.

In addition, capsaicin also was effective against leukemia, and might be effective in slowing or preventing the growth of other cancers as well.

It may be possible that capsaicin to be extracted from hot chillies and have it soon as a drug. However, people should take care not to increase the chillies intake as that has been associated with stomach cancers.

Prostate brachytherapy (pronounced bray-kee-ther-uh-pee), the implantation of radioactive seeds into the prostate gland, is one of the standard methods of successfully treating prostate cancer. The tiny radioactive seeds are smaller than grains of rice.

A prostate seed implant may be the only type of radiation therapy needed by a man with low-risk prostate cancer or it may be prescribed in addition to external beam radiation therapy in men with intermediate- and high- risk prostate cancer. The goal is to eradicate cancer cells while preserving healthy, surrounding tissue, such as the bladder, the urethra (the tube that connects the bladder to the penis), and the rectum.

The advantages of prostate seed implants are significant. Fist, the procedure requires only minor surgery, usually causing fewer side effects than other treatments. Also, it is generally a same day, outpatient procedure. Men usually are able to return to work within several days, as long as they feel well enough. In addition, recent reports suggest that the procedure, when performed on properly selected men, is at least as effective as surgery to cure prostate cancer. Radiation exposure to other people is minimal, so restrictions do not apply unless the man is returning to a setting where a young child or pregnant woman is present.

Treatment Planning

Men undergo a pre-implant ultrasound study to determine where the radioactive seeds (and the needles to implant them) should be placed. A transrectal ultrasound, wherein an ultrasound probe is carefully positioned in the rectum to view the entire prostate, is performed. Images of the prostate are taken and are transferred to a special treatment planning computer, which evaluates the position of the prostate and generates a three-dimensional plan that dictates the precise placement of the seeds.

Preparation for the Procedure

Most candidates for prostate brachytherapy undergo blood tests, a chest x-ray and an EKG several days prior to the implant, in order to be approved for anesthesia. On the morning of the procedure, men receive an enema to help optimize the quality of the transrectal ultrasound images. In addition, blood thinners are discontinued several days prior to the procedure to help diminish the risk of bleeding.

Day of the Procedure

Typically, men who are scheduled to undergo seed placement arrive early in the morning. Next, the man is taken to the operating room for the procedure, where he undergoes either general or spinal anesthesia. Then, the radiation oncologist and the urologist work as a team to implant the seeds into the prostate, using transrectal ultrasound to guide the placement.

The Implant Process

Using the treatment plan and fluoroscopy (real-time x-ray), the radiation oncologist places the seeds within the prostate. The entire procedure usually takes less than one hour. After the seed placement, the urologist performs a cystoscopy (a procedure in which a slender, flexible, fiber optic scope is inserted from the penis into the bladder), to look for and remove any seeds that dislodged in the bladder or the urethra. Within the few next days, a CT scan is obtained to verify the placement of the seeds.

Prostate Seed Implants: Recovery

Because prostate implants do not involve major surgery, side effects are rarely severe. The most common side effects reported by men after prostate seed implants are:

o Urinary frequency (60-70%)

o Urinary burning (50%)

o Urinary urgency (50%)

o Erectile dysfunction (30%)

o Blood in the urine (20-30%)

o Increased bowel movements and bowel urgency (5%)

o Fatigue (20%)

o Pelvic pain (20%)

o The need for temporary catheter placement (10-15%)

o Urinary incontinence (less than 1%)

In addition, up to 20 percent of men are found to have seed migration into their lungs. However, no detrimental effects have been reported. Infrequently, men have required trans-urethral resection, the “scraping” of the prostate gland via the penis, to relieve urinary obstruction after the seed placement.

Follow-Up

Men who undergo prostate brachytherapy report for follow-up visits four weeks after the procedure and every three months thereafter. A PSA blood test and a physical exam are performed to assess the status of the prostate.

The good news is that prostate seed implants are usually successful at controlling prostate cancer within the gland. Such local control of disease correlates with rendering men free from prostate cancer.

We all know that prostate cancer can happen to any male and it is a very common type of cancer. There are ways you can incorporate certain foods into your diet to greatly reduce the chance of getting prostate cancer and it is good to add these types of foods in your regiment anyway. One of the easiest foods to add is fish, this is because fish oils have been found to drastically reduce your risks of getting prostate cancer by as much as eleven percent. Most cultures, which have lots of fish in their diets have extremely low rates of the overall population of prostate cancer.

Selenium appears to also be an easy answer to reducing prostate cancer, you could add a daily supplement vitamin with 200 micrograms to assist you. Vitamin E is also a good idea. Soybean products, soy milk and tofu (yuk) are also good things to add into your diet if and when possible. Tomato sauce is something you should add to your diet and you should be able to do this without too much problem.

Unfortunately we have been seeing an increase in the number of prostate cancer by about 3 % per year in white men; 2.3 per year by black men. The good news is the most men do not die of prostate cancer these days due to good screening, better treatments and early detection.

Some things you should not eat? Well high intakes of fat, meat and dairy products. If you love to cook red meat on the BBQ, you might wish to do that in moderation. Smoking and alcohol did not appear to be bad for prostate cancer, but are risks of other cancers as we all know. There are many other things you can add to your diet that you should be thinking about. Perhaps you should study this subject and think on it now and continue to get yearly checkups because if you do get prostate cancer and it is treated early, you stand a very good chance of coming out in flying colors.

Because of its nature, prostate cancer is a disease suffered only by men. In fact, the American Cancer Society has found that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. While this statistic may seem the disease dooms a man to death, the prognosis isn’t as bleak as the facts seem to indicate.

While one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, only one of every 34 will actually die as a result of the disease. Depending on how far the cancer has spread and how early it is diagnosed the prognosis for prostate cancer is actually very good. Most people do not die of the cancer itself, but of other causes.

Prostate cancer is generally a disease that affects older men, the majority of men diagnosed with this type of cancer are over the age of 65. It is partially because of this age of onset that most who develop this type of cancer do not die from it. They generally die from other causes associated with old age.

Risk factors for developing prostate cancer are a combination of hereditary and social factors. Having one or more first generation relatives who suffers with prostate cancer seems to be the best identifying factor of any particular man developing the disease.

African American men seem to be slightly more likely than Caucasian men to be diagnosed with the disorder. Along with genetics, social features also play a role in the development of this condition. These social factors can include diet and general overall healthiness.

Like most cancers, prostate cancer has no symptoms in its earliest stages. This is why screening is so important. If you are at risk for developing this cancer because of your family history, your doctor can perform a blood test that will detect if the cancer is developing. In fact, your doctor will usually conduct both a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test as well as a digital rectal exam. If both these tests indicate you may suffer with cancer, he may suggest a biopsy to be sure.

If your cancer is not caught in the early stages when it is most treatable, you may start to experience some symptoms. These symptoms include pain or stiffness in the lower back, blood in the semen or urine, difficulty having an erection, painful ejaculation, difficulty urinating or feeling the need to urinate frequently.

Once prostate cancer is detected, there are several ways it can be treated. These include the traditional methods of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to remove the cancerous gland. Because this gland is part of both a man’s urinary tract and sexual organs, there are many side effects of these treatments the man may find unpleasant. These include the inability to achieve erection as well as urinary leakage.

Even though prostate cancer is common, survival rates are good, especially is the condition is caught in the early stages. It is important to discuss your risk factors with your doctor to see if you need to be screened for the disease.

Prostate Cancer Information

Prostate Cancer is growing fast among the older men above 50 and as you grow older, your risk of having prostate cancer increases. Death is not definite in all the cases but the trouble it causes is nothing less than a slow death.

But if it gets diagnosed in its initial stage then it becomes easy to cure prostate cancer. And for that, you should know that how it grows.

Now what happens, the male hormones especially testosterone, stimulates the growth of cancer cells in the prostate. This testosterone is produced by the testes (nearly 95%) and the rest 5% is produced by the adrenal glands (small glands above each kidney).

Prostate Cancer is slow-growing

Prostate Cancer grows at a quite low pace. A man suffering from Prostate Cancer may lead a normal life for several years without ever having cancer discovered. As mentioned above, that this cancer grows with the growing age of an old man. In most of the cases, men with prostate cancer get diagnosed after they cross 65.

Painful Urinating – a prostate cancer symptom

This cancer can cause a lot of damage to your body. As the prostate cancer grows, it starts squeezing the urethra which results into painful urinating. This pain is considered to be the first alarming sign of prostate cancer. But its not right to relate this symptom always to prostate cancer, it can also occur due to some other infections. Sometimes, prostate cancer without showing any symptoms starts attacking the cells close to the prostate. And this is really dangerous.

Bone Pain – another prostate cancer symptom

A stage comes when the cells break off from the cancer and spread reaching the the lymph nodes, various bones (especially the hip-bone and the lower back), lungs and sometimes it reaches your brain. And then these cells form tumors in other parts of the body and start expanding. These expanded tumors start squeezing those body parts resulting in the advanced stage of prostate cancer. And when these cells reach your bones, it causes bone pain in your body.

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