Archive

Posts Tagged ‘cancer’

Treatments Of Prostate Cancer Made Easy

March 12th, 2011 No comments

The prostate gland is part of the men’s reproductive system. Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor of the prostate gland. The prostate gland is located directly beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum.

Many men, especially those later in life have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait. The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man’s reproductive system; it wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in men of all ages and is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over 75 years old.

The most common symptoms is the inability to urinate at all. Some men will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. Having one or more cancer symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer.

Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can be symptoms to watch out for. Other symptoms might include unintentional weight loss and lethargy. If you have one or more symptoms of prostate cancer, you should see a qualified doctor as soon as possible.

There is a newer test called AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer. A bone scan can indicate whether the cancer has spread or not. When a digital rectal exam is performed it often shows an enlarged prostate with a hard, irregular surface.

Another test usually carried out when prostate cancer symptoms are present is the digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by the doctor. There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer. A number of tests may be done to confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Since prostate tumors require testosterone to grow, reducing the testosterone level is used to prevent further growth as well as spread of the cancer. Thoroughly discuss your treatment options and concerns with your doctor and other health professionals; it never hurts to get a second or even third opinion or more if necessary. The conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial.

If chemotherapy is decided upon after the first round of chemotherapy, most men receive further doses on an outpatient basis at a physician’s office or clinic. Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis. Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread.

Recent improvements in medical procedures have made complications occur less often. Whether radiation is as good as removing the prostate is debatable and the decision about which to choose, if any, can be difficult. Be aware that some men chose natural treatment options and forgo any surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.

Besides hormonal drugs, hormone manipulation may also be done by surgically removing the testes. Surgery is usually only recommended after thorough evaluation and discussion of all available treatment options. In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor.

Anyone considering surgery should be aware of the benefits, risks and the extent of the procedure. Chemotherapy medications are often used to treat prostate cancers that are resistant to hormonal treatments.

If you do choose invasive conventional treatment, you can always change your diet and do non-invasive natural treatments too. As new research comes out adjust your treatment options accordingly. If you haven’t been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you should call for an appointment to see your doctor; and if you’re a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, make an appointment immediately.

By: Zallhack Froontier

Prevention On Prostate Cancer With The Right Diet

March 10th, 2011 No comments

Many studies show that diet can help to prevent prostate cancer. Macrobiotic diet is one of the diets that can prevent and reverse prostate cancer. If you choose this eating plan, you can only eat sea vegetables and whole grains. Other diets such as low-fat diet can also help to prevent this disease.

A healthy diet especially with darker green vegetables can help in reducing the risk of prostate cancer. For example, studies show that eating broccoli can help to prevent prostate cancer.

Men in rural parts of Japan and China practice low fat diets. Compared to the Western counterparts, their risk of prostate cancer is less than 10 percent. Based on new findings, your body only benefit 25 to 35 percent of fats from the total food consumed. In fact, higher fat intake may lead to several disorders. Doctors suggest that reduction of the fat intake to 20% of your total calories can help to lessen the risk of developing prostate cancer. Therefore, if you consume 2,000 calories a day, you only take 44 grams of fat. Begin today by incorporating low-fat foods in your daily meals for better health and prostate disease prevention.

Eating fish can also prevent prostate cancer. Men in China are unlikely to have advanced prostate cancer because of the high consumption of fish in their diet. Fish oils can reduce the risk of prostate cancer as much as 11 percent.

Even though benign prostathic hyperplasia or enlarged prostate is not cancerous, it can become cancer if you don’t treat it. Foods that are rich zinc and selenium can prevent the enlargement of the prostate.

In 2005, The American Journal of Nutrition mentioned that men who consume lots of dairy products tend to develop prostate cancer more than men who consume little amount of dairy products by 2.2 times. Reducing of the intake of dairy foods in your diet can also minimize the possibilities of getting prostate cancer.

By changing to a healthy diet, it can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Healthy foods can also maintain a healthy prostate gland so that it can function optimally.

By: Zallhack Froontier

Cancer Of Prostate – Treatments And Symptoms

March 9th, 2011 No comments

Example of an ultrasound affected by prostate cancer (ultrasound can be used to guide a biopsy). Cancer develops from the prostate tissues, a gland in the male reproductive system when cells will mutate to spread so uncontrollably.

These can spread (metastasize is) in migrating from the prostate to other parts of the body (especially bones and lymph nodes).

Prostate cancer occurs regardless of benign prostatic hypertrophy (or prostate adenoma). It is in the vast majority of cases adenocarcinoma.

Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty urinating, erectile dysfunction and other symptoms. Treatment is by surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and sometimes chemotherapy, or combination of these methods.

Frequency

The rate of breast cancer varies widely throughout the world. It is less widespread in South Asia and Far East, more common in Europe and even the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is rare among Asians as well as more prevalent among blacks (high rates may also be influenced by the increased effort detection).

ProstateProstate cancer develops most often in men over 50 years. This is the type of cancer most common in males, where he is responsible for more deaths than any other cancer (except lung cancer). However, many men who develop prostate cancer symptoms do not, do not undergo any therapy and die for some reasons. Many factors of genetic origin, toxicological as well as diet-related seem involved in the development of this cancer.

We find outbreaks of cancer cells in 30 to 70% of cases in studies performed in autopsies of men 70 to 80 years (details information is included in prostate cancer survival rates); prostate cancer remains the most often asymptomatic: the probability of a man 50 years know a diagnosis of prostate cancer is only 10%. In 3% of cases, this cancer will be fatal.

Geography of Prostate Cancer

There are significant differences in the expression of this cancer, which seems more common among the black man, or where the family has a history pathological with this condition. From 1983-2002, while deaths from cancer were generally higher in the Caribbean city, deaths from prostate cancer and stomach were twice as common in the Caribbean in the mainland (while colorectal cancer and lung cancer were three times less frequent). This could be explained by both genetic reasons and food (green tea and / or soybeans or other foods rich in selenium) which appear to protect most Japanese living in Japan (while living in the United States is not).

Causes

They are not known with precision.

There is a genetic predisposition and the presence of certain genes seems slightly correlated with the onset of the disease. In particular, a mutation on chromosome 8 might explain the higher incidence of this cancer in black American.

Nutritional causes were discussed with a potentially protective role of lycopene. Similarly, exercise may have a slightly protective effect and tobacco a deleterious effect.

All You Need To Understand About Prostate Cancer

March 7th, 2011 No comments

A prostate tumour is a lump created by an abnormal and uncontrollable growth of cells. It can be either benign malignant (called cancerous) or (called non-cancerous). Each year about 35 000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK.

The prostate is a gland that produces the liquid part of semen. It is about the size of a walnut as well as lies at the base of the bladder. The front of the prostate surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine form the bladder and out through the penis. The prostate gland increases slowly as you age. Any change of the size of the prostate can narrow this tube, making it difficult to urinate.

Cancerous tumours can grow through the prostate and spread to other parts of the body (through the bloodstream or the lymph system) where they may grow and form secondary tumours. This is called metastasis. The prostate cancer symptoms include difficulty in starting to pass urine, a weak and sometimes intermittent flow of urine, dribbling of urine before and after urinating, a frequent or urgent need to pass urine, pain when passing, and blood in the urine and/or erectile dysfunction.

The prostate cancer symptoms are similar to those produced by a common non-cancerous disease where the prostate becomes enlarged (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Inflammation of the prostate(prostatitis) can also give you these signs. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s very important you visit your doctor for advice. If prostate cancer is found early, it can often be cured. It is important to note, however, that most men with early prostate cancer have no symptoms at all.

If prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, other symptoms can develop. The most common site for prostate cancer to spread is to the lower back, pelvis and hips, causing bone pain and tenderness.

The cause for prostate cancer is not fully understood at present. The risk of getting prostate cancer gets higher as you get older. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over the age of 50. Men from the age of about 40 may be affected, but this is less common.

When you have close relatives who have had prostate cancer,you are also at higher risk.You are two and a half times more likely to get prostate cancer if your father or brother has been diagnosed. The risk increases more if your relative was under the age of 60 when they were diagnosed, or if more than one relative has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.There has been a suggestion that the risk is also higher if several women in your family who have had breast cancer (you may have inherited a faulty gene which may increase risk of prostate cancer).

If you are Afro-American or Afro-Caribbean you are more at risk. African Caribbean men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer compared to white men. Researchers are looking at what may be the cause of this increased risk, but diet and genes probably play an important part.

 

By: Zallhack Froontier

Prostate Cancer Signs – Do You Know What They Are?

March 7th, 2011 No comments

Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself; most of the patients with this type of cancer can live for years with no problems. About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only one man in 34 will die of the disease. Men who are younger than 40 are rarely identified with prostate cancer.

Cancer that grows inside the prostate gland is known as prostate cancer. The most common cancer in American men, excluding skin cancer, is prostate cancer. It’s estimated that approximately 234,460 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer of prostate this year, and more than 27,000 will die of the disease.

One sign is a need to urinate frequently, especially at night. One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate at all. Some men will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer.

If cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms. If you have one or more prostate cancer symptoms, you should see a qualified doctor as soon as possible. Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can be symptoms to watch out for.

One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm. There is a newer test called AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer. Your doctor may use either one or two of the most common tests for prostate cancer diagnose.

The decision about whether to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion between you and your doctor. A PSA test with a high level can also be from a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities.

Impotence is a potential complication after the prostatectomy or after radiation therapy. Recent improvements in surgical procedures have made complications occur less often. The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms.

In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor. Surgery is usually only suggested after thorough evaluation and discussion of all available treatment options. Anyone considering surgery should be aware of the risks, benefits and the extent of the procedure.

Chemotherapy Side effects drugs depend on which ones you’re taking and how often and how long they’re taken. Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; known as hormonal manipulation. What you can do now is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to begin.

Radiation therapy to the prostate gland is either external or internal, both of which use high-energy rays to eliminate cancer cells and shrink tumors. The conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial. Surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, removes the entire prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissues.

Treatment options can vary based on the stage of the tumor. Prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) may be treated conventionally with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, surgery to remove the testes, chemotherapy or nothing at all.

The outcome of prostate cancer varies greatly; mostly because the disease is found in older men who may have a variety of other complicating diseases or conditions, such as cardiac or respiratory disease, or disabilities that immobilize or amazingly decrease their activities. Just about all men with prostate cancer survive at least five years after their diagnosis, 93% survive at least 10 years, and 67% survive more than 15 years. Make sure to read everything you can get your hands on and mull it all over.

 

By: Zallhack Froontier