CHRONICLES :HOT TOPICS SERIES

 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

1.- PROSTATE DISEASE AT A GLANCE

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in elderly men and the second most common cause of cancer-related death in men. Prostate cancer causes few if any symptoms in its early stages, but as it progresses it can lead to difficulties with urination and bleeding in the urinary tract, and the cancer can spread to other areas of the body. Prostate cancer may be detected by Digital Rectal Examination ( DRE). Testing for abnormally high blood levels of the protein known as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is also used to diagnose the disease. Prostate cancer is treated using hormones, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgical procedures.

Bacterial prostatitis is treated with antibiotics but sometimes all the infection cannot be eliminated from the prostate gland, and some men develop a chronically infected prostate.

 Prostate fluid also helps to keep sperm, which is found in semen, healthy and lively, thereby increasing the chances that fertilization will occur.

As the prostate grows, it constricts the urethra, possibly causing a partial obstruction of the bladder. Such obstruction may lead to bladder wall thickening and urination problems. Symptoms such as frequent urination, nighttime urination, a feeling of urgency to urinate, difficulty emptying the bladder, and a weak urinary stream are the most common problems men encounter from prostate enlargement.

The standard surgical procedure for removing the enlarged tissue in the prostate is called transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). During this procedure, the surgeon uses an endoscope, a tube equipped with a small television camera and a sharp instrument, to cut away the excess prostate tissue.

INCIDENCE

A DISEASE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN

AA men have the highest prostate cancer incidence in the world. The are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than Asian men, who run the lowest risk. AA have positive prostate biopsies 70 per cent more often than do white American.  Other factors are high levels of dietary fat, low vitamin  D synthesis, and less access to medical care. Diet, sunshine, selenium are also mentioned.

Age and prostate caner appear to be bound together in some  fundamental biologic way that we don’t understand. The median age at diagnosis is 69 as opposed to age 63 for breast cancer. The median age for prostate cancer death is 77.

Factors that increase prostate ca risk are  a diet low in protective antioxidants( vitamin E and selenium) while a regime rich in fruits and vegetables might help ward off the disease.