Prostate Cancer
September, 2009
September is the American Cancer Society’s Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Here is a summary of some of the current recommendations for prostate health.
Prostate cancer is a common disease affecting as many as 50% of men by the age of 80. It begins in the prostate, a gland the size and shape of an apricot, which is located at the base of the urinary bladder.
No one knows. The disease begins spontaneously within the prostate gland when prostate cells change and become cancerous. Once they turn to cancer, they may grow within the gland before spreading outside the gland to surrounding tissue and eventually to distant organs like the bones or liver.
If you are a male and over age 50, you are at risk.
There are no absolute ways to prevent prostate cancer. However, a healthy diet with plenty of zinc and antioxidant containing vegetables and fruits is thought to help.
If you are over age 50, you should consider having a prostate cancer screening. Talk it over with your doctor, who may recommend a digital rectal exam and/or a laboratory test called PSA. An examination of the prostate can find lumps suspicious for cancer, while the PSA blood test can detect a protein made exclusively by the prostate, which is elevated in prostate cancer and other prostate conditions.
Prostate cancer is often silent until late, when pain in the bones or pelvis may occur. There are no reliable symptoms to tell you if you have prostate cancer early in the disease. That is why screening tests are important for detecting the disease earlier.
Your doctor can refer you to a urologist, who can describe the various forms of treatment, including surgery, radiation, or hormonal therapy. Often, these can be helpful in controlling the suffering caused by prostate cancer.
GetFitColville Washington Health Foundation