LONG considered a disease of the Western world – particularly North America and Europe – prostate cancer is fast becoming a prevalent health burden in Asia. In the Philippines, prostate ranks as the third leading cancer site among males, behind lung and liver cancers.
Symptoms of prostate cancer commonly include: urinary problems; inability to urinate, or difficulty starting or stopping the urine flow; the need to urinate frequently, especially at night; weak or interrupted flow of urine; pain or burning during urination; difficulty having an erection or decrease in the amount of semen ejaculated; blood in the urine or semen; and frequent pain in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
These are just symptoms and only a doctor can know for sure whether you a person has prostate cancer. “If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, go and see your doctor immediately so that the cause can be diagnosed and any relevant treatment administered,” recommends Professor Peter Lim Huat Chye, senior consultant and advisor of the Department of Urology at the Changi General Hospital in Singapore.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that helps produce semen, the thick fluid that carries sperm cells. The pili nut-sized gland is located beneath a man’s bladder and surrounds the upper part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder. Prostate function is regulated by testosterone, a male sex hormone produced mainly in the testicles.
On a case-by-case basis, doctors cannot pinpoint with certainty what causes prostate cancer. “The causes of prostate cancer are not well understood,” says the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). “Doctors cannot explain why one man gets prostate cancer and another does not.”
Researchers are studying factors that may increase the risk of the disease. Having one or more close relatives with prostate cancer increases a man’s risk of developing the disease. A diet high in animal fat is another factor (fats increase levels of testosterone, a male hormone).
Obesity is also a contributing factor. Two studies, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said that maintaining normal weight throughout your lifetime reduces your risk of developing prostate cancer.
So far, no proven link exists between prostate cancer and an active sex life, masturbation, use of alcohol or tobacco, circumcision, infertility, and infection of the prostate. The theory that men who have vasectomies are at slightly increased risk for prostate cancer remains unproved.
“Compared with the most other cancers, prostate cancer behaves rather strangely,” informs The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments.
Prostate cancer is the male equivalent of ovarian cancer in women as a “silent killer” a tumor that all too often goes undetected and spreads through the body. Usually, it grows slowly, taking years to progress. “The problem,” Dr Jason Letran, chair of the prostate health committee of the Philippine Urological Association, “is that often by the time a man notices something is wrong, he’s already missed his best chance of a complete cure.”
Asian urologists urges males in the region who are 40 years old and above to undergo a digital rectal examination (DRE), in which a doctor’s gloved, lubricated finger is inserted into the rectum to feel for lumps, enlargement, or areas of hardness that might indicate the presence of cancer.
”It is uncomfortable but not painful, and it’s generally brief, lasting less than a minute,” assures Prof Lim.
A serious drawback to DRE is that it cannot be relied totally. As such, Letran suggested for a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein given off by prostate tissue. In general, the higher the PSA, the greater the cancer risk.
Experts believe that the combination of DRE and PSA enhances early detection. From age 50 onwards, men are advised to get an annual PSA and DRE tests. Males with a family history of prostate cancer should start getting yearly checkups at age 40.
But DRE and PSA tests are not enough. If the urologist finds something is wrong, he recommends a transrectal ultrasound, the same technology that produces images of babies in the womb. While ultrasound can’t distinguish healthy cells from cancer cells, it can help direct a needle biopsy.
Unlike those in the Western countries, most Asian men with prostate cancer “come for treatment very late,” observes Dr Sahabudin Raja Mohamed, consultant urologist at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur, “when little can be done to help them. This is most unfortunate, as the disease can be cured when detected early.”
Two features help a doctor determine the likely course of the cancer and the best treatment: how far the cancer has spread (if the cancer is confined to a small part of the prostate gland, generally many years will pass before it spreads to areas around the gland and then to bone and other parts of the body) and how malignant the cells look (prostate cancer cells that are more distorted under the microscope tend to grow and spread more quickly).
Prostate cancer treatment may serious affect a man’s lifestyle, according to Dr Letran. Major surgery, radiation therapy, and drugs for prostate cancer often cause impotence and may cause incontinence.
Treatment may also involve watchful waiting. “Watchful waiting is an option for men who are too old or too weak for treatment or for those who refuse treatment,” says Dr. Eduardo Gatchalian, the secretary of the Philippine College of Surgeons. “Yet for the relatively healthy elderly male, observation is not a viable option especially if we have a cancer that has a high Gleason score (indicator of aggressive nature of the disease).”
“Silence is not only golden, it is seldom misquoted.” So said Bob Monkhouse who was silenced at the age of 75 after a two-and-a-half year battle against prostate cancer.
Symptoms of prostate cancer commonly include: urinary problems; inability to urinate, or difficulty starting or stopping the urine flow; the need to urinate frequently, especially at night; weak or interrupted flow of urine; pain or burning during urination; difficulty having an erection or decrease in the amount of semen ejaculated; blood in the urine or semen; and frequent pain in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
These are just symptoms and only a doctor can know for sure whether you a person has prostate cancer. “If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, go and see your doctor immediately so that the cause can be diagnosed and any relevant treatment administered,” recommends Professor Peter Lim Huat Chye, senior consultant and advisor of the Department of Urology at the Changi General Hospital in Singapore.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that helps produce semen, the thick fluid that carries sperm cells. The pili nut-sized gland is located beneath a man’s bladder and surrounds the upper part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder. Prostate function is regulated by testosterone, a male sex hormone produced mainly in the testicles.
On a case-by-case basis, doctors cannot pinpoint with certainty what causes prostate cancer. “The causes of prostate cancer are not well understood,” says the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). “Doctors cannot explain why one man gets prostate cancer and another does not.”
Researchers are studying factors that may increase the risk of the disease. Having one or more close relatives with prostate cancer increases a man’s risk of developing the disease. A diet high in animal fat is another factor (fats increase levels of testosterone, a male hormone).
Obesity is also a contributing factor. Two studies, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said that maintaining normal weight throughout your lifetime reduces your risk of developing prostate cancer.
So far, no proven link exists between prostate cancer and an active sex life, masturbation, use of alcohol or tobacco, circumcision, infertility, and infection of the prostate. The theory that men who have vasectomies are at slightly increased risk for prostate cancer remains unproved.
“Compared with the most other cancers, prostate cancer behaves rather strangely,” informs The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments.
Prostate cancer is the male equivalent of ovarian cancer in women as a “silent killer” a tumor that all too often goes undetected and spreads through the body. Usually, it grows slowly, taking years to progress. “The problem,” Dr Jason Letran, chair of the prostate health committee of the Philippine Urological Association, “is that often by the time a man notices something is wrong, he’s already missed his best chance of a complete cure.”
Asian urologists urges males in the region who are 40 years old and above to undergo a digital rectal examination (DRE), in which a doctor’s gloved, lubricated finger is inserted into the rectum to feel for lumps, enlargement, or areas of hardness that might indicate the presence of cancer.
”It is uncomfortable but not painful, and it’s generally brief, lasting less than a minute,” assures Prof Lim.
A serious drawback to DRE is that it cannot be relied totally. As such, Letran suggested for a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein given off by prostate tissue. In general, the higher the PSA, the greater the cancer risk.
Experts believe that the combination of DRE and PSA enhances early detection. From age 50 onwards, men are advised to get an annual PSA and DRE tests. Males with a family history of prostate cancer should start getting yearly checkups at age 40.
But DRE and PSA tests are not enough. If the urologist finds something is wrong, he recommends a transrectal ultrasound, the same technology that produces images of babies in the womb. While ultrasound can’t distinguish healthy cells from cancer cells, it can help direct a needle biopsy.
Unlike those in the Western countries, most Asian men with prostate cancer “come for treatment very late,” observes Dr Sahabudin Raja Mohamed, consultant urologist at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur, “when little can be done to help them. This is most unfortunate, as the disease can be cured when detected early.”
Two features help a doctor determine the likely course of the cancer and the best treatment: how far the cancer has spread (if the cancer is confined to a small part of the prostate gland, generally many years will pass before it spreads to areas around the gland and then to bone and other parts of the body) and how malignant the cells look (prostate cancer cells that are more distorted under the microscope tend to grow and spread more quickly).
Prostate cancer treatment may serious affect a man’s lifestyle, according to Dr Letran. Major surgery, radiation therapy, and drugs for prostate cancer often cause impotence and may cause incontinence.
Treatment may also involve watchful waiting. “Watchful waiting is an option for men who are too old or too weak for treatment or for those who refuse treatment,” says Dr. Eduardo Gatchalian, the secretary of the Philippine College of Surgeons. “Yet for the relatively healthy elderly male, observation is not a viable option especially if we have a cancer that has a high Gleason score (indicator of aggressive nature of the disease).”
“Silence is not only golden, it is seldom misquoted.” So said Bob Monkhouse who was silenced at the age of 75 after a two-and-a-half year battle against prostate cancer.
